Brown Eyes
by delena1997
Summary: Names are powerful things. They give you a certain hold over someone. You catch someone's name and hold it tight, keeping it in your heart until you're ready release it again, setting it free into the nights along with the secrets hidden in your heart so long. Sometimes secrets can bring you together, and sometimes they can tear you apart.
1. Pretty Stranger

Stupid dick. Why did he think he had the right to treat her like that? She was good to him, she did everything he asked. She comforted him when he needed it and left him alone when he needed and now? Now he'd well and truly fucked her best friend. He phone vibrated in her pocket she dug it out without bothering to glance at the caller id.

"Yes?"

"_Elena, I am so sorry! I didn't mean that to happen! I love you! Rebekah means nothing to me! She was just-"_

"Just what Stefan?" She let her anger spill into her voice. She wasn't upset. Hell, she hardly cared that he'd slept with Rebekah. She was _angry._

"I'm done Stefan. I won't come running back to you. I don't do that. Not with you." Without another word or a chance for him to talk she cut him off, and cut him out of her life.

It was like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"I'm free!" She giggled while hollering out at the bartender. "Alcohol! Now!"

"Now, why's a pretty girl like you yelling about being free and drinking alone?" a velvet voice came from nearby, turning her insides to mush.

"Because I am free, therefore, alone." She smiled before turning round to face the owner of the voice.

Her jaw dropped.

He was gorgeous. Messy, raven-black hair and beautiful blue eyes which were currently wide in shock. There was only one bar stool between, but she wished he was closer. His jaw was also open and he was staring at her.

"What? Am I ugly or something?" She laughed. She was feeling more free and at ease than she'd felt in a long time.

"Ugly? You are kidding right?" He rolled his eyes. His piercing blue eyes.

"Well you know what they say, beauty on the inside and everything." He slid off his stool and occupied the one next to her.

"So tell me, pretty stranger, why have a never met you before?" His tone was playful. His eyes boring into hers.

"I've been waiting for a dark, handsome man to sweep me off my feet." She nudged him playfully. "I'll have to settle for you instead." His face broke into a grin. His eyes lit up making him heartbreakingly gorgeous.

"I'll count on that." His joking tone was gone, replaced with seriousness. Not that she minded. She liked him.

"So, you'll be sweeping me off my feet?" She smiled at him laughing.

"Oh how I'd love to. I've been with my brother. The stupid dick cheated on his girlfriend. Not that we've ever met her. Biggest mistake of his life apparently." He rolled his eyes.

"She's better off without him." he looked at her with a strange expression on his face. She sighed. "Ex-boyfriend cheated. Best decision of my life to let him go."

He smiled even wider.

"Well, brown eyes, I want to show you something." He held his hand out to her, gesturing for her to take it. She took it without hesitation, giggling when he pulled her off the stool closer to her.

"So I, an innocent girl, am supposed to let a mysterious, blue-eyed man take me somewhere? My mamma always told me not to listen to strangers." He smiled at her knowingly. He could see right through her.

"Well?"

"Well, I never did listen very well as a child." She winked at him. This man was really something. He lifted her hand to his lips before kissing it lightly.

"Come on, brown eyes." And he pulled her out the door, without knowing he was leading her into a world full of passion, adventure and all consuming love.

* * *

"So, where are you taking me stranger?" His arm was wrapped around her shoulder and she had hers around his waist. He liked that. He liked her in all honesty.

"Somewhere amazing." He grinned and she utterly melted him with her eyes. Her gorgeous eyes.

"If I knew your name I would be whining it and pouting right now."

"Names are precious." He shrugged.

"Well that was deep." He giggled before spinning her around and wrapping his arms around around her waist.

"You're really something, you know? I don't do this. I don't talk and listen and all that. I'm a man whore." He winked. Then paused. Then sighed. "I was a man whore. I just got out a relationship I was practically forced in to." He was angry now.

She wrapped her arms around his neck before leaning in as if to kiss him. He leaned into and was moments from placing his lips on her before she pulled away and ran off giggling in the opposite direction.

"You're evil!" He yelled after her.

"Fight for what you want!" She yelled back.

He wanted her. God, he wanted her. He really liked her. He hadn't given her a reason for not giving his name. Names were precious. His engagement to Katherine Petrova was all about money, power and the influence of a second name. He didn't want her to know his name and the power behind it. He wanted to get to know _her. _

"Wait up brown eyes!"

He smiled and sprinted after her.

* * *

"Wow." It was all she could say, but it definitely deserved more.

"I know." His velvet voice was soft in her ear. Her head lolled backwards against his shoulder and his cheek rested against her temple. His hands were clasped over her stomach and her back was pressed against his chest.

They were on top of a high rise block. The early morning view of the city was breathtaking. It was complete darkness and the lights were beautiful. They were content to stand in silence, enjoying the beauty.

"When you said names are precious-" she paused but pressed on anyway "'-what did you mean?"

She felt his tense.

"My dad practically forced me into a relationship with a woman with a powerful second name. Said it would be a great opportunity." She felt his scoff. "I was engaged but I broke it off. It wasn't what I wanted. Can't say she cared too much but my dad is livid. Doubt I'll be in his will much longer."

She tensed. He was engaged? Did he still like this woman? Even a little bit? It made her angry for some reason. She liked this man. A lot.

"Didn't mean to dump the heavy stuff on you, brown eyes." He had obviously misinterpreted her silence.

"It's okay." She twisted in his arms and smiled at him. "I have work in the morning y'know. I should get back." regret laced her voice and she saw disappointment fill his eyes.

"Phone." She geld out her hand demanding his phone. He gave it to her without hesitation.

She flicked onto contacts and was about to add her name before it burst into life. She checked the called iD by force of habit. Stefan. Stefan? As in her ex Stefan? She gave him his phone back.

He made a face at it. "The baby bro needs to get over his big mistake. It's his fault he lost the girl."

Her face must have given her away because he declined the call and looked at her softly.

"What's up?" She didn't know what to say.

"Your brother cheated on his girlfriend right?"

He nodded "Yeah, he was for about three months and she found out today. He's been driving me insane."

Six months? The bastard was cheating on her for three months. They'd only been together for six.

"You know the guy who I found out was cheating. Today."

Realization covered his face. "That bastard cheated on you! Are you kidding me? That guy is a fucking idiot! He actually had a chance with you and he cheated!" His face was so angry it almost blew me away.

"Hey, calm down! It's okay."

"It's not fucking okay." He growled. "He actually cheated on you. I'm gonna punch him when I see him."

She laughed loudly. Did it really matter that this man was Stefan's brother? Then something popped into her head.

"Stefan said he didn't talk to any of his family." Now it was his turn to laugh. He was laughing loudly and happily.

"That's rich, he's a complete daddy's boy!" She smiled and looked into his eyes. He was smiled at her, his brother forgotten.

"I didn't know him at all."

"Trust me, brown eyes, it's his loss."

"Will I ever get your name?"

"One day, brown eyes. But for now, I want to think of you of the mysterious, beautiful brown eyed girl who had made me laugh and listen for just one night."

"Only one night?" She was more than disappointed. Would she ever see him again?

"Phone." he mimicked. She pulled it out and handed it over.

She watched him tap at the keyboard before handing it back to her.

"Your turn." This time she succeeded in adding her to his contacts. She smiled. They would see each other again. The idea made her stomach tighten.

'Wa-a-a-a-a-i-t!" She looked up as he snapped a picture of her. "Nothing." he said with a smirk.

"You just wanted a picture of me." She stated accusingly. He shrugged innocently.

"So it's only fair I get one, right?" Now he looked hesitant. Then his eyes flashed wickedly.

Suddenly she was standing beside him with her phone in his hands. Before she could process what was happening she felt his lips on her cheek and she saw the flash erupt in front of her. He then held the phone above her head.

"Hey! Give!" He laughed while he edited the settings on her phone.

When she finally snatched it off him she exploded with laughter. Her new wallpaper was of them both. It was slightly shaking and the flash made there faces shiny but she liked it. She wore a genuine smile on her face and he had his eyes closed with his lips on her cheek. They looked good together. She looked up and saw him looking at her with his finger outstretched.

"Promise you won't change it 'till I see you again!"

"Promise!"

He suddenly hugged her tight and swung her round. She was laughing uncontrollably. It felt nice ot laugh. She'd felt so on edge recently it was amazing to just let lose and be herself. She hadn't been herself in far too long.

She caught sight of the time and sighed.

'I really should get back." He looked at her with regret.

"Yeah me too."

They walked in comfortable silence back to the street. Neither wanted the night to end but neither wanted to say something to stop the inevitable.

A cab screeched to a stop in front of them and he gestured for her to take it. She looked at him regretfully before leaning in to kiss him softly on the cheek. He rose and eyebrow before capturing her lips, pulling her in and holding her tight. Her world exploded with fireworks and he kissed her and she kissed him back. It was gentle and soft and romantic and passionate. It was perfect. It was the type of kiss neither had ever experienced before. The magic spell was broken by the cab's horn beeping loudly and the driver's angry shouts. She glanced at him smiling before jumping in and driving away.

* * *

She got home in minutes and crashed onto the sofa smiling uncontrollably. She dug out her phone and scrolled through her contacts to find him.

_Cheater's Brother. _

She laughed before typing out a message and crashing out on her bed. This man was special. She liked him. She truly did. He was gorgeous and witty. Funny and more than a little bit sarcastic. Surely it hadn't just been her who'd felt the connection? She fell asleep to dreams plagued by a blue eyed stranger.

* * *

"I'll see you around, brown eyes." he spoke softly before walking off in the opposite direction. His mind full of a brown-eyed girl who he knew would never leave his mind.

He wandered through the doors of him apartment and seeing two missed calls and one message from his Father. He deleted it without listening. It would be him yelling about his called off engagement. NOt that he cared. He hadn't loved Katherine. She'd been hot and feisty but not marriage material. Not at all.

He smiled as he walked into his bedroom and collapsed onto his bed. His phone was chiming insistently.

One new message: Brown Eyes

His smile was so wide it almost hurt. This girl would invade his thoughts every second of every day.

She had sent him the picture he had taken. It was off her smiling brightly, he brown eyes sparkling. It may have been slightly out of focus and too bright but he smiled once more. He didn't think he'd ever stop smiling.

_New Wallpaper, stranger. _

_-E x_

E? E for what? He hoped his brother wouldn't ruin the mystery for him and spill her name. He set the picture as his wallpaper. This girl was truly something. He never opened up or let himself get to know people. She was special. He quickly typed out a reply.

_Sweet dreams Brown eyes._

* * *

_**A/u: I do like this a lot. Makes a difference to all the vampire stories about them. This is purely human. Shall I continue? I am sorry for all those reading 'The New Life' but I have a lack of creative juices!**_

As you can see Elena stole my signature! (hehe. I'm in a good mood tonight!)

**_love you all, reviews mean the world and more to me!  
-Ex_**


	2. New Arrivals

She was walking on air. Literally. This beautiful man was amazing. He had pestered her about her name but since he refused to give her his she refused to give him hers. Then had met every single day since the night they had met. They had gone for dinner and coffee. They had walked around the city and they had simply sat on the rooftop and enjoyed each other's company, but they had not spent a night apart in the week since they had met.

"You forget I know your second name." That stumped him for a moment and her eyes flashed in victory.

"Ah, you can _know _my name but I have not given it to you." She nudged him. "Come on, brown eyes, what's your name?" She winked.

"Nope, guess you'll find out one day. Come on, stranger. Coffee?" He smiled and led her to a coffee place.

That was another part of their new found routine. He knew the best places in the city for everything. Always away from the main tourist places.

* * *

"Sit." She sat then used their joined hands to yank him down so he was sitting across from her. A waitress came to take their order and blatantly offered herself up to him.

"Hey I'm Melanie." she looked suggestively in his direction which he rose his eyebrows to and looked at me and winked.

"Well Melanie, you can stop with the looks. You see, I now know you're name and you don't know mine and seeing as I won't tell you, things can't happen between us." He smiled brightly after he ordered his coffee.

She couldn't hold in her laughter anymore and she burst out laughing. She ordered politely but couldn't help looking smug at he poor girl's embarrassed face.

She prodded him in the ribs. "You're evil!" he smiled at her and turned her insides to mush with just one look.

"That's me, brown eyes. I think out coffee might now be safe to drink-" He broke off and his eyes grew wide as he watched two figures enter the bar. He groaned inwardly. "They better not-"

"Damon Salvatore!" A booming voice cut through the cafe. Damon. His name was _Damon. _She liked it. She knew it had to be him as she knew his second name due to his dick of a brother. He looked at her, his eyes remorseful and her, being her she whispered quietly to him.

"Damon Salvatore."

He smiled before squeezing her hand a standing up to greet the two figures. She watched as he was enveloped in a hug by a woman. He was the spitting image of her. His mother? He nodded curtly to a man who looked eerily like Stefan. She sighed. She had a feeling his father would not like her. He'd forced him into an engagement for god's sake. He certainly wouldn't like her. She watched him point then reluctantly follow them over to their table. She stood quickly and was greeted warmly by his mother.

"Hello child, I'm Elizabeth. Damon's mother." her warm smile and sparkling blue eyes put her at ease at once.

"Pleasure to meet you. He is the spitting image of you." She knew she was being rude but she held out on giving her her name.

She then held out her hand to his father who looked at it in disgust. He did not introduce himself, he merely looked her up and down before speaking harshly.

"And you are?" She withdrew her hand quickly, unsure of whether to speak.

"Peppe! Don't be rude, that girl has done nothing to you." Elizabeth scolded her husband harshly.

She felt Damon's arm wrap around her shoulder and she looked up at him, eyes dancing as he led them to sit down.

A tense silence was followed as Damon's father looked her up and down and analysed every move she made.

"Damon. What's the girl's name?" He panicked for a second before she decided to put him out of his misery.

"Elena Gilbert, sir." She knew better than to offer her hand again so she spoke politely and avoiding eye contact.

"I was not talking to you, girl." She flushed. This man was patronizing beyond belief but she would not stand from being pushed around. She stood quickly and offered her hand to Elizabeth who pulled her into a tight hug.

"Don't you worry, child. You seem like a lovely girl. You'll be good for him." She felt a whisper in her ear and she smiled. She bent to kiss Damon on the cheek.

"I'll see you later." His eyes were sad but proud. She knew better than to stay where she was not wanted.

"See you, brown eyes." He didn't even glance at his parents before pressing his lips to her softly. She smiled. She nodded once to his father and smiled at his mother- polar opposites she thought- and walked out the room holding her head high.

She had barely been outside for one minutes when she heard footsteps behind her. She spun on her heel to find herself face to face with Damon's father.

"Giuseppe Salvatore." His hand was outstretched, but his eyes were cold and his voice was hard.

"Ele-" She was cut off before she could introduce herself.

'I do not care for your name, girl. Damon in engaged you fool. You will get yourself hurt."

"He ended it." She watched as the older man looked at her like she was a child.

"It is ended for now. Do you really believe they will not reconcile?"

A stone lodged itself in her chest. She had not considered his feeling for Katherine. The stone lifted slightly. He had heard him speak about her the night they met. He hadn't seemed happy. The stone sank again. His father had blackmailed him into his relationship once. He could do it again.

"They may or they may not. Whatever happens, it is his decision not yours." The man's eyes narrowed, his mouth in a grim line.

She was severely grateful for the cab she had ordered to pull up just then. She was not up to continuing this conversation.

"Pleasure, Giuseppe." she spoke proudly as she stepped into the cab and speeding away, fighting the tears that threatened to fall.

* * *

He was already annoyed at his parents turning up and now his father had follower his girl outside? _Elena. _The name rolled off his tongue. _Elena. _He glared at the door then made to follow him but his mother's hand pulled him back.

"Son, don't. Let your father say his piece. The girl is strong, she will not let go easily."

He shook his head, distressed. "Mom, you know him. He managed to convince me to propose to Katherine. He can convince her of anything." He buried his face in his hands.

"Where does she live? Go around tonight. Cook for her. Explain to her!" He groaned.

"I can't! We didn't exactly meet traditionally." His mother rose one eyebrow, looking strikingly like himself. "We met in a bar. We talked and laughed and she's truly something Mom. I told her everything. Remember when you told me names were precious?" She nodded, smiling at the memory. "Well we didn't exchange names until now, and even that didn't go to plan. Don't know why we held out so long really. But it was different. She's different."

His mother looked at him softly. She always knew what he was thinking. She knew how to calm the storm of his thoughts. She was going to say something but his father came storming through, muttering incoherently.

"Rude girl. No manners."

He scoffed. "You are kidding right?"

His father looked at him coldly, before waving a phone in front of his face. "I went to give her her phone but she jumped in a cab before I could!"

He didn't believe that for a second and went to grab the phone but his mother beat him to it. She pressed the unlock button and smiled widely.

"When was this taken son?" He glanced at the wallpaper and smiled ruefully. It was the once taken the night then met. She had kept it as her wallpaper. He glanced down at his own phone. His was the same photo.

"The night we met." His mother looked shocked.

"You look like you've known each other for years!" He shrugged before taking the phone off of his mother.

He bent down to kiss her cheek. "Bye Mom, see you soon." He glanced at his father and nodded slightly. "Father."

* * *

He stopped a few blocks away from the coffee shop and slid her phone unlocked and was momentarily stopped by a pass code. Obvious guess would be her birthday, right? He typed in in quickly, smirking at his own brilliance when it unlocked, and scrolled down the contacts. He wasn't sure who to call if he was honest. He debated over her friends and her parents before selecting 'Home'

"Hey 'Lena!" He smiled at the nickname, he figured he'd steal it from the speaker. That was, if Elena ever spoke to him again.

"Hey, I'm looking for Elena. She left her phone and I need to get it back to her." There was a silence.

"Who is this exactly?" It was a woman's voice. Her mom?

"Damon Salvatore." He knew it was pointless, this woman wouldn't know his name.

He heard her sigh before she rattled off an address.

"Thank you." He was itching to go find his girl but he figured he'd be polite.

"Bye Damon." and the call went dead.

* * *

She sat in her apartment trying to power through her coursework. It clearly wasn't happening. She needed to find Damon and her phone but the only way to do that was to call Damon. Whose number was in her phone. Which Damon had. She groaned. She would have to call Stefan eventually but right now she didn't want to think about that. A knock at the door interrupted her mental rambling as she wandered over to answer it.

"Hey, brown eyes." His eyes were soft and his voice was wary.

"Hey." she laughed. "How the hell did you know where I lived?" He smiled brightly.

"Birthday. Then I called 'Home'" She smiled before grabbing his hand and pulling him inside.

"So, you called my house? You realise I will be getting a million questions about you when they next call me?" She was sure she sounded exasperated.

"Sorry 'Lena." Her face split into a wide smile.

"Damon Salvatore." He smirked and leant back on the sofa.

"Elena Gilbert." He winked at her. "Looks like our plan failed." She shrugged and curled into his side.

"How tragic. I'm hungry, but I'm too lazy to stand up." she trailed off and looked at him hopefully. 'Pass me the phone, stranger?" He poked her in the ribs.

"No takeaway brown eyes!" She looked at him puzzled. He better be thinking of a way to get food 'cause she was starving. "Please." he scoffed. "I can cook better than any takeaway."

She didn't say a word but her raised eyebrows said it all. That was all it took for his to launch himself at her, tickling her mercilessly. She fought back. Hard. She was master at this. It wasn't until they ended up rolling around on the carpet, out of breath that they stopped. He was currently pinning her to the floor with one hand holding both of hers about his head and the other taking his weight off of her. His eyes were dark with lust and she was sure hers were full of hunger and passion.

There was no hesitation now. He crashed his lips to hers, devouring her with fire and electricity that exploded under his touch. He freed one of her hands and it twisted it's way up to his hair with one hand still pinned above her head. She bit his lower lip softly and he moaned and began to place kisses down her jaw, her neck, her shoulder blades. She freed her other hand and used both hands to pull his lips back to meet hers. Her hands snaked down his neck to his shirt slowly unbuttoning it and revealing his perfect chest. Her hands ran over the hard planes of his stomach, feeling every muscle and tendon. He grabbed her hands and moved them back to his neck while his started exploring her body. With each touch she was on fire.

The were too wrapped up in each other that they didn't hear the laughter or the click of high heels that were heading towards her apartment. They didn't even hear the door open and a sharp intake of breath. It wasn't until she heard a voice yell out that she came back to her senses.

"Elena! Who the hell is this?" She laughed against Damon's lips at Caroline's indignant tone.

"No one important." She looked him directly in the eye as she said this so he would see her expression clearly. She winked at his mock hurt expression.

"Can you stop sucking his face for five seconds while I explain something?" She groaned as Damon rolled off of her and sat up pulling her with him. She pointed to a door that led to her kitchen. He smirked at Caroline before sauntering off, not even bother to re-button his shirt.

She turned to face Caroline with an innocent expression on her face. "Yes?"

Caroline glared at her. "Don't 'Yes' me Elena. I will get hard facts later but right now I can assume you aren't coming out tonight?" She nodded in agreement while she smirked. "Me and Bon just came by to tell you that I ran into an old friend of mine, Katherine Petrova, you know, her dad owns a major P.R company, and we're going out tonight. We wondered if you wanted to come but obviously-" she dragged out the last word while rolling her eyes "-you're busy."

She shook her head laughing. "Obviously. Are Bonnie and your friend coming up?" She nodded.

'They'll be up in a minute, Bonnie got caught up talking to someone so I said I'd head up first and explain." A burst off laughter exploded in the hall as two figures walked into the room. "Elena, Katherine. Katherine, Elena."

"Nice to meet you." She noticed the smirk on the girl's face. It wasn't exactly friendly.

Something settled in her chest. Katherine. She had a powerful second name and her dad was a powerful person. Damon's ex-fiancée. No. She shook herself mentally. It couldn't be.

"Likewise." Her voice was slick.

"Bon, 'Lena's not coming tonight, she was making out with some guy when I walked in."

"Elena!" She laughed at Bonnie's shocked voice and playfully nudged her best friend.

The three girl's eyes widened as Damon came sauntering back through without a glance at the new arrivals and with his shirt still undone as he wrapped his arms around her stomach and buried his face in her hair. She caught Caroline and Bonnie exchange glances with each other which meant they'd be harassing her for hard facts, she groaned to herself, this would not be fun. She noticed Katherine's eyes widen as if she recognised her. _No no no no._

"Damon." Katherine's voice was like ice, hard and cold.

She felt Damon's head shoot up and his whole body tense.

"Katherine."

* * *

_Yeah, I'm pretty sure you all saw that coming, yeah? Ah weeeeell. Do you like it? I've only had one review and it wasn't exactly inspiring to write more but I did anyway 'cause I love you all so much. (wink wink)_

_Thanks for everything!_

_-Ex_


	3. Someone Special

"You two know each other?" The blonde said shocked and the brunette looked from him, to Elena, to Katherine.

"Ex-fiancée." The two girl's mouths dropped open and they stared at Elena accusingly. He glared at Katherine. Why did she have to be everywhere? Couldn't she have a life somewhere else. She glared back at him. In theory, she had the right to be mad at him. He'd called off their engagement and was with another girl less than a month later but in reality he knew she wouldn't be hurt by Elena. She was possessive. She didn't like to share. She would be angry that he had moved on from her.

"We should, uh, get going. Right Bon? You, uh, you coming Kat?" The blonde was clearly uncomfortable and Katherine was always one for uncomfortable situations.

"Sure Care, let me just talk to your lovely friend for a minute." The blonde- Caroline?- looked uncomfortable and so did the brunette who he assumed was Bonnie.

He saw Elena roll her eyes. She was tough, she had faced down his father and now was facing down his ex-fiancée within hours of each other. That duo would make stronger men turn tail and flee.

Caroline and Bonnie walked out the apartment and he was sure they positioned themselves outside, ears pressed against the door listening.

He followed their lead. He walked into the kitchen again and pressed his ear against the door. He knew Katherine would talk loudly and make a scene. They were a personal favourite of hers.

"So, Elena." She spoke Elena's name in such a patronizing way it made him want to rip her head off. "Let me get this straight. Stay away from him. That man in there is-"

"Before you say the words 'He's mine."- Think carefully. Is he actually? No. Of course he's not, he's a human being, Katherine." He chuckled as he heard Elena mimic Katherine in the way her name was spoken.

"He is mine, and I don't share very well." She was trying to be threatening but it came across possessive and jealous. He heard Elena laugh.

"I'll keep that in mind, but it you don't mind." She spoke brightly before lowering her voice and tone "Get out of here. You can't come into my apartment and tell me to stay away from people who are no longer a part of your life." He heard the door click shut and he opened the kitchen door to see Elena standing with a proud smirk on her face.

He launched himself at her, picking her up and spinning her round, much like he'd done the night they met. She laughed uncontrollably until he put her down, collapsing onto of her on the sofa.

"Elena, you are so fucking amazing. You really put that bitch in her place!" This girl really was amazing. She had made him feel more in a few hours of meeting than Katherine had done within a year of engagement.

Her eyes lifted, vulnerability shining through.

"'Lena?" What had upset her so much? Had he missed something?

"So you don't have feelings for her anymore?" She asked it in such a small voice that he almost laughed. "When Giuseppe spoke to me earlier he said you would get back together. He made it sound like a dead cert!" This time he did laugh.

"Brown eyes, you honestly believed that?" She looked away, clearly embarrassed. "You've made me feel more since I've met you than Katherine made me feel the whole time we were together." Her eyes brightened. She was so fucking beautiful it kinda made my chest hurt.

"I never loved her and I never thought I would love anybody, but here I am, and let me tell you, I'm falling for you, brown eyes. I'm falling for you hard." She didn't answer him, she didn't need to. She answered him with a kiss so full of passion he almost exploded. Every kiss they had shared up until now had been nothing compared to this. This was what he lived for. This was what he had been waiting for. This was pure, raw passion, so full of fire it almost consumed him.

He felt her pull away, her eyes sad.

"He convinced you before, Damon. He could convinced you again."

He ground his teeth together. How could his father have so much control over his life? He was a grown man for god's sake!

"Elena. He blackmailed me. He's good at twisting his words to make you believe anything."

Another thought struck him.

"Brown eyes, please don't believe everything he tells you. It's most likely lies." He chuckled ruefully. She smiled softly but he knew she wasn't convinced. "Look, it's my mum's birthday soon. She's always been one for parties. Come with me. She loves you. You should have heard her at the coffee shop. She'd never let me hear the end of it if you weren't there." He winked.

"That really a great idea? Only two out of four people in your family like me y'know." She winked at him. He was glad she was relaxing again.

"Yeah, the two most important people obviously!" She elbowed him so he picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder. "How soon?"

He looked at her innocently. "Friday, maybe?" He lifted an eyebrow at her indignant squeal. Yes, it was Wednesday right now. And?

He heard her growl in what he thought was a very sexy way.

"Put me down." She left a pause between each word so he, being Damon Salvatore simply smirked.

"Nope." popping the 'p' loudly and obnoxiously.

"Oh?" she had an evil edge to her voice. "So you won't want to come shopping and help me choose a dress?" He smirked. She thought this would make him put her down?

"No? Shame, maybe Caroline will help me. I always need someone to help me with the zips." she trailed off at the end but he got the message. He quickly put her down and smirked at her innocently.

She took his hand and dragged him out the door.

* * *

"Elena, you complete bullshitter. You don't need help with zips and you know it!"

She smirked. So maybe she didn't need help with zips. So, shoot her.

"Shut up, Damon!" then she strolled out the changing room, winking as his jaw dropped.

She twirled. "Whatcha think?" He simply stared at her.

"I think I won't be letting you out of my sight. No way in hell is another guy getting you." He was being serious too. She laughed and slipped on some heels and grabbed a clutch. She struck a pose, enjoying his eyes widen.

"If you don't buy that I may just sit here and cry." He smirked slightly. She could tell her was joking. Just.

"Cry? Damon Salvatore cries?" She walked back into the changing room and changed into her regular clothes. Dark wash skinny jeans, grey military boots, and an oversized cream cardigan.

"Too right he cries. Especially when his girl doesn't buy a dress which she looks fucking sensational in." Again, he was being serious.

"Your girl, huh? I like it, I'm your property." She was kidding of course, but it was still nice all the same.

She walked out holding the dress, shoes and bag which he promptly snatched from her and raced towards the till.

"Hey!" he winked at her before handing the clothes to the cashier. She made it to them just in time to hear part of the conversation.

"-and risk letting her not buy this? No freaking way." The old lady at the till laughed and smiled at her

"Dear, you've caught yourself someone special." Damon smirked and looked pleased with himself. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. She felt a kiss on top of her head and she grinned happily.

"Oh I know." then she elbowed him as she knew he'd be wearing a smug smile on his face right now. The lady handed a bag to her and smiled at them.

"Thank you!" She said brightly before leading the way out off the shop.

They walked in comfortable silence before she said something.

"She was right you know." he looked at her faintly puzzled.

"You're definitely special, and most definitely caught."

"Ah, brown eyes, I'm happy being caught by you."

* * *

**Woooo, one more ready to upload after this chapter is up. What do you think so far? **

**-Ex**


	4. Blackmail and Heartbreak

They stepped into the room. She knew it would be a big party but this was beyond her expectations. This wasn't a party. This was a _ball. _They were in a ballroom. It had a bar and music was blaring through the speakers. There was a podium in the centre of the room for speeches and it was currently occupied by Damon's parents and a young woman in a red dress.

"Shit." was all Damon said.

She looked closer and realised the young woman was none other than Katherine. She could tell even from this far away that Giuseppe and Katherine were clearly having a hushed argument with Elizabeth. The sight sent a shiver on unease down her spine.

Elizabeth caught sight of them form across the room. She quickly descended from the podium and may her way skilfully towards them and enveloped her in a tight hug.

"My dear, guard your heart. My husband is plotting." Her heart dropped in a heartbeat. She glanced at Damon who had a pained look on his face, so he must have heard his mother too.

She edged slightly away from Damon so his mother could greet him with a kiss on the cheek and words of warning. His eyes hardened and his mouth thinned. It was the only time she had seen him looking remotely like his father. He shook his head and squeezed his mother's shoulder before holding his hand out to her.

"Miss Gilbert, would you care to dance?" She smiled and allowed him to pull her into the throng of dancing couples, but she had heard Elizabeth's words. Her heart was guarded.

He placed one hand on her back and took her other hand in his. His blue eyes looked at hers but she was forced to looked away. She rested her head against his chest and when she looked up she saw he was smiling. She glanced around the room and noticed a fair amount of eyes watching them.

"Hey." He looked at her again. "Everyone's watching us." She watched as he glanced around and chuckled softly.

"Elena, look at you! You look beautiful." She flushed and glanced at herself.

Even she had to admit she looked good. Her dress was a deep royal blue and one shouldered. It gathered around her waist and then ended mid-thigh. Her hair was curled slightly and put up into a lose, elegant bun. Her makeup up light and shimmery making her look even more beautiful than she did normally.

Added to the fact that she was standing next to Damon, with his messy black hair and piercing blue eyes, who looked fantastic in his black trousers and jacket with a white shirt and skinny black tie, tied a little too loosely to be formal.

"Hell, we look good together." He smirked and pulled her close.

"Damon, I see you've found yourself a new piece of tail." She glared as she saw Stefan approaching.

"Well, Brother, I see you're alone. Still regretting the 'biggest mistake of your life?" She met Stefan's eyes steadily.

"Yeah, I am. Elena, may I have this dance?" She was about to refuse but Giuseppe's booming voice cut through the room.

"And now my son, Damon!" She watched Damon glare at his father before kissing her cheek and making his way to the podium. She reluctantly took Stefan's hand and followed as he led her further on to the dance floor.

* * *

He glared around the room and he marched over to the podium where is father stood.

"Ah, here he is!" His father could milk this father-son bond too well to be normal.

"Evening." He noticed Elena dancing with Stefan and the sight made his stomach knot. The crowd cheered when he spoke, they loved his charming attitude, unlike his father.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen. Let me introduce my future daughter-in-law, Katherine Petrova!" There was applause. Mild. But it was still there. The whole crowd craned to look at Elena, who was now staring at him, her eyes wide but her expression guarded.

He could hear the two of them chatting and talking to the crowd but his mind was focused on another girl. A small, brunette girl with chocolate eyes. Chocolate eyes that were currently hardening at something his father had just said. He watch his mother appear beside Elena and squeeze her arm. God, this night would not end well.

He felt and all two familiar presence by his ear.

"The wedding is now in a month. Tell them, or I will end her." His father was truly an evil genius. He could end even the most powerful man's career with less than a sentence. He could ruin Elena's life in seconds.

"You wouldn't." He muttered under his breath. Appearances. All about appearances.

"You don't know the half off it." And that was probably true. His father had something over him. And probably something over Elena too. No one knew what they were messing with when they tried to one up Giuseppe Salvatore.

He felt Katherine lips lock onto his, pulling him in. He didn't respond but his ear registered his Giuseppe talking.

"Doesn't that make us all want to be young again?" His charming voice was warm and easy. And fake. His voice couldn't fool him. His eyes were hard and emotionless.

His mind wrestled inside him. He was torn. His father would end Elena if he didn't announce this ridiculous wedding date and he would torture him for the rest of his life is he did. He knew that by giving in he would hurt Elena to the point where she may never forgive him. He would break her heart, the thought make his own heart turn to stone.

"That's right folks, one month!" Then, utterly disgusted with himself, he turned and kissed Katherine coldly, but to the crowd around them it must have looked sweet.

His father grinned in triumph and he shot a look at Katherine who was too busy smirking to notice anything else. He couldn't focus on either of them. All he could see was his mother's angry eyes glare at him and lead Elena away. Before she reached the door she turned around and met his eyes. Her brown eyes where sparkling with unshed tears but her expression held no trace of emotion. She regained control and her eyes and face were blank. Everything. Just gone. She looked at him once and he was sure he was a single tear escape and trail down her cheek.

And with that, his heart broke.

* * *

**Ugh, yes very short, I have another chapter almost finished but it won't be up later and seeing as it's sunny outside today (I live in Scotland, we Scots don't see sun much) i'll be outside and won't have a chance to write.**

**Thank you for all the reviews! You guys are amazing!**

**Love you!**

**-Ex**


	5. Up All Night

She closed her eyes and more tears leaked out. She cared more about Damon that she'd admitted to herself. Her mind replayed the night over and over. Damon asking her to dance. Stefan taking over. Damon on stage. Damon kissing Katherine and announcing their wedding was in a month. She'd remembered Elizabeth's words and guarded her heart the second Damon walked away from her but she'd seen them kissing and she'd felt a reassuring grip lead her away from the ballroom.

Then she'd felt her heart breaking.

Even as a child she hadn't believed in heartbreak. She'd heard her Aunt Jenna moan and cry and scream over guys and she had vowed to herself she would never be like that. Yet here she was, completely and utterly heartbroken over a man who she had known for barely a month.

She heard Elizabeth's words over and over in her mind trying to make sense of them.

"_Not her, Elena, you. Giuseppe has a hold over him, I have never understood. He will use you against him and he will do everything to stop you getting wrapped up in Giuseppe's grasp. If he comes back, he truly means it."_

They were self-explanatory. His father had something over him. She same thing that he had used to get them together the first time and yet, she still expected him to come running though the door any minute. She glanced at the time, it was barely ten, yet she was exhausted. Her mind worked in overdrive while her body fought to fall asleep. Eventually, her mind succumbed and the exhaustion took over.

* * *

_Bang._

She sat bolt upright, fear slicing through her.

"Elena!" She knew that voice. It was the voice she had tossed around in her mind millions of times over for the last- she glanced at her phone, checking the time- eight hours. She'd been desperately wanting him to appear but now he was here she was terrified. He had turned up at her house at six in the morning, and that scared her. Why had he taken so long to appear? He heart was torn and thudding in her chest. She ran out of her bedroom to open the door but she stopped short, her heart hammering at an erratic pace.

"Please Elena!" She should just open the door. At least let him explain everything. A voice awoke in the back off her head. Why should you? She sat down against the door, her legs unable to support her weight.

"Elena." He whispered her name so softly she almost didn't hear. She was so close to giving in, to wrenching open the door and falling into his arms, but again, she didn't. _Something _was stopping her. She buried her face in her hands and wrapped a blanket around her.

"I'm falling in love with you, Elena." His velvet voice was so broken it split her heart into a thousand more pieces. She wished with all her heart that it was true. That she could just open the door but she knew what was holding her back now. He was engaged. To Katherine. Again. Regardless of how they felt, it could never happen. No matter their feelings, his father had complete control. He gritted his teeth. His father had made him lose the one girl who he had allowed in.

"I think I'm falling in love with you too." She uttered the words so softly she didn't know herself whether she had actually said them or not, let alone if he had heard them. With that, she closed her eyes as tears began to fall freely across her cheeks.

She sat there against the door for along time, long enough for sunlight to creep through the curtains. She finally fell asleep, against the door that separated them. Of course, she didn't know he was in exactly the same position: back against the door, knees up with his head buried in his hands.

* * *

"Damon? What the hell?" He cracked his eyes open slightly so see the hyperactive blonde glaring at him. "Why are you asleep outside Elena's door at half eight in the morning?"

He glared at her. This girl knew nothing about him, or the way he fucking felt about Elena. If he wanted to sleep outside her door, he would fucking do so.

"Caroline. I am extremely tired, pissed off, and that girl in there probably hates my guts because I almost certainly broke her heart at the same time I broke my own. So, if you don't mind, I'll be camping out here until she comes out to talk to me."

The blonde was speechless but when she spoke again her voice was soft.

"I have a key, I'll get her." He was shocked to saw the least. He was expecting the defensive best friend speech.

He stood up, groaning as his aching muscles stretched out. He watched Caroline let herself in a heard her speak softly and memories of the previous night washed over him.

* * *

"_Elena!" No answer. He pounded on the door again. He had to explain. She had to know how he felt about her. He had fallen for her harder than he'd ever fallen for anybody and now he had gone and fucking broken her heart._

"_Please Elena!" He rested his forehead against the door, silently begging for her to open it. Even if she couldn't forgive him, he had to explain. Still no answer. He sighed in defeat and sank down against the door, his head buried in his hands. He'd lost her. _

"_Elena." He took a deep breath, he could hear her on the other side of the door. He knew she could hear him. "I'm falling in love with you, Elena." He spoke softly, his voice sounding broken even to him. He leant his head against the door, begging for a reply._

"_I think I'm falling in love with you too." _

_His heart pounded in his chest but when no more words came he slipped into an uneasy sleep._

* * *

He jolted back to life as Caroline walked quietly out of the apartment and looked at him sadly.

"Whatever you said, whatever you did-" she paused "-it crushed her."

"Don't Caroline." his voice sounded so crushed that he took in even her sympathy.

"You made her smile, Damon. You made her happy for the first time in a long time and now you're gone, so is she. Fix this." and without another word she walked away but she had left the door slightly open.

He didn't know whether she was helping or threatening but he knew with his entire being he had to fix this. He couldn't lose her.

* * *

**I dragged myself away from the rarity of sunshine to write this up. Hope you like it!  
Love you all!-**

**-E xo**


	6. Time Passes But Feelings Stay

"Elena?" She looked up at his face. His eyes were so sad and broken. She was still sitting against the wall wrapped in a blanket, much like Caroline had found her.

She couldn't make her voice work, she just looked at him. She loved him with everything in her, but they would never happen. Too many obstacles and challenges stood in the way. She couldn't ask him to choose her over his father.

"Damon." Her voice sounded different, like that of a foreign stranger.

That was all it took for his strong arms to wrap around her and for tears to stream out of her eyes.

"Elena, don't. I'm sorry." His voice was shaky and his thumbs wiped away my tears but more quickly followed.

"It's not that, Damon. It's her. And your father. I can't ask you to choose. We can't happen."

He held her tightly in her arms.

"I will fight for you, brown eyes. I always will."

She looked up at him, courage coursing through her. She pulled away from him.

"You won't Damon. You ended things with Katherine and you say you fell for me but look at you Damon. You're with her. You're getting married in a month. We can't happen."

His eyes were so pained it almost broke her heart some more, but it had broken one to many times in the last twenty-four hours to break again.

"I love you Damon, but you need to go." Her eyes filled with tears as she watched him bow his head in defeat. She'd half expecting some speech about how he'd call off the wedding but it never came.

Before he could react him lips were on hers, not overwhelming her with passion, but with sadness and goodbyes that she never expected to come so soon. Their kiss was mixed with tears and they continued to fall.

"I love you, brown eyes, I always will." He looked at her once more. They both knew they wouldn't see each other again any time soon. She looked away, unable to look at him without hurling herself into his arms and begging him to stay.

The door clicked shut as he walked out.

"Don't go." Her voice was a whisper, too quiet for him to hear. Unshed tears spilled over. She thought her heart couldn't break any more, but she had been wrong.

* * *

He leant his forehead against the door separating them. Whether he stood there for a second, a minute or a hour didn't matter, all that mattered was the brown-eyed girl he had just walked away from.

Alcohol. He needed alcohol. A lot of alcohol. He stormed into the nearest bar he could find and drank his way through countless drinks trying to dull the pain. He didn't want to marry Katherine. Who would? The woman was a bitch. He detested his father so much right now. So what if he'd been in trouble in the past? Yes, his Giuseppe's had bailed him out-countless times-but now he was threatening to take it back and hand him in? The though scared him. He'd taken the wrap for Stefan so he could continue college and now it was coming back to bite him in the ass.

He buried his face in his hands. He had just walked away from the best thing that had ever happened to him. He would probably never see her again. The thought froze his heart and he pushed it to the side, quickly ordering another drink to numb the pain.

* * *

A week had passed. A week without Damon. Her heart was numbing-not healing. She hadn't been sleeping, she had sat for hours and stared at her phone silently waiting for a call, a text. Anything.

Her phone exploded into life with a number she didn't know. She only hesitated for a second before answering it cautiously.

"Hello?"

"_My dear, how are you?" _Her heart swelled as she heart Elizabeth's warm voice. She imagined her in her mind but the similarities to only hurt her more.

"Real version or version I tell people?" She heard Elizabeth chuckle softly on the other end of the line.

"_I was being polite. I can assume you are in the same state he is in. But listen to me Elena, he loves you. He probably always will, Giuseppe has him backed into a corner and it's killing him. We are so alike, I know things even if he won't tell me. Can I ask you something Elena?"_

She choked back tears at Elizabeth's kind words. "Of course."

"_Think about coming to the wedding. I am personally inviting you. I know it's hard, but think about it. Please?"_

"I will. I promise." She had heard the older woman breath a sigh of relief. She tanked her whole-heartedly and as they said their goodbyes she was still torn. Could she face him on his wedding day? He was marrying a girl that wasn't her.

* * *

It had been over three weeks. Three weeks since she'd seen him. Three weeks since she had told him to walk away and he had gone without a fight. Less than one week until he would be married. A matter of days and Damon Salvatore would be married.

She was like a robot. She talked and laughed and smiled. She did her job and was charming around clients but on the inside she was empty. Caroline had noticed, of course she would. She'd noticed her dead eyes and fake smile and hadn't commented on it. She knew she need her space and time.

She found herself glancing at her phone. It had filled up with so many pictures of the two of them but her wallpaper was still of the first night they met. The picture made her heart ache a little bit but she still loved that photo. It had been the first night she'd truly let lose in a long time.

"Elena!" Looks like her time for thinking was up. She turned round with a bright smile on her face.

"Caroline!" The look on her friends face could have scared stronger men.

"Elena, I'm staying at yours on Friday. You need to hear something and I can't tell you while you're at work because you may hit me. Or cry." She smiled at her and walked away leaving her dumfounded and confused.

* * *

"Okay Care, you've been here for almost three hours. Why are you really here?" She could already guess but she needed to be sure.

"Elena, it's Friday. Damon's wedding is _tomorrow." _Her heart broke just a little bit more at those words. "You can't keep acting like your okay, Elena! You need to go there and you need to _fight!"_

And she wanted to. She wanted nothing more than to call him up and beg for him back but she couldn't. She had to let him make this decision. Was she really the kind of girl to show up at a wedding and steal the groom away? A snide voice in the back of her head certainly thought so. _You are when he's involved. _Tears filled her eyes and she quickly looked away. She didn't want to face Caroline. She didn't want her sympathy.

"You have no idea how much this hurts, Caroline." A few tears escapes and Caroline's eyes simmered with unshed tears too. She was pulled into a hug by her closest friend as she cried out the loss and pain and regret on her shoulder.

"You don't have to talk to him, Elena, but you should be there." She didn't argue anymore. She just nodded. Caroline led her gently to her bed and shoved her down. "Sit." She then proceeded to rummage through her closet searching for a dress she could wear. Caroline's eyes widened slightly. She didn't say a word, she simply laid a dress, shoes and a bag on the chair in the corner of her room, placed a light kiss to her cheek and walked out with a whispered goodbye.

Caroline and Elizabeth's words had affected her. The woman who knew her so well and the woman who had raised Damon both urging her to come. Could she ignore them both? She didn't think she could live with not going.

"I'll be just through here if you wanna talk but I guess you could use some time to think." Caroline smiled ruefully before closing the door softly.

And she did think. She thought for hours. Over analysing every more she could make. Ruling out every situation. Mulling over ever aspect of their time together. She had never been happier. He had never been happier, he had told her himself. There was so much she regretted. They had barely known each other a month before they had been forced apart. She fallen for him and never properly told him. She had confessed her love to him remorsefully as he had walked out of her life. He had told her he loved her and was still marrying Katherine. Whatever Giuseppe had over him was strong, but she truly loved him.

She finally found peace somewhere within her mind and she rolled over to get some sleep.

* * *

There was hours left. In a matter of _hours _he would be married. He would be married to a girl that wasn't Elena. He ground his teeth together. Katherine didn't even want to marry him. She wanted him as arm candy and a powerful name.

Thinking of names only hurt more. He recalled every conversation he'd had with Elena. He may not have known it at the time but he had fallen for her within hours of meeting her. She had well and truly captured his heart.

He glanced at the clock restlessly, another hour had ticked by. He would not get to sleep tonight, but he probably should. He rolled out of bed and grabbed a couple sleeping pills. He had a fair supply, he wasn't the greatest sleeper and his insomnia had increased dramatically over the last month. He stared at the picture on his phone. It hadn't changed since the night they had met. His eye lids grew heavy as he drifted off into a sleep free of deep, brown eyes, laughing smiles and stolen kisses.

* * *

**A/N: wooooooooo, love you all! Don't know what else to say really. This story is almost over- two three more chapters. Epilogue? **

**-Exo**


	7. All Hell Breaks Loose

His eyes snapped open. This dreaded day had finally arrived. Fuck. The morning flashed by so fast he barely registered his father's 'proud' smile or his mother's sad gaze. He didn't remember changing into this stupid tux and he didn't remember walking to the aisle. He had sat with a vacant expression, ignoring questions and inquiries about his well being. He simply did not care. He couldn't go back now. This was it. His bride was never the woman on his mind.

* * *

She slipped on her shoes and applied the last of her makeup. She was beyond terrified. She shouldn't even be thinking about doing this, but she was. She was really doing this.

Caroline offered to drive her but she'd declined. She had to do this herself. She snuck into the church full of smiling people and pastel colours.

She had edged through the crowd hoping no one would recognise her. She wasn't exactly invited so if someone asked her for an invitation she'd be screwed.

The decorations were over exaggerated and tacky in her eyes and the church was too full to be all close friends and family, half these people were probably begged to come.

Fake friends for a fake wedding. This was nothing he would want.

She edged silently to the edge of the doorway leading to the aisle as the first bridesmaid began to walk.

Her heart was thumping in her chest.

Elizabeth caught her eye and she smiled, her own sparkling blue eyes shining with excitement.

She shrunk backwards into the extravagant flower display as Katherine stalked past. She felt unnatural anger build up inside of her. It was this little bitch's fault they had had to go through this.

Once Katherine was far enough away from the door she edged slightly into Damon's line of sight. He had turned around and glanced at Katherine, his face devoid of any emotion unless you count blank resignation as an emotion.

Her heart fluttered as she saw him for the first time in nearly a month. He looked beautiful. His eyes standing out against his messy raven hair and his casual stance emphasising the perfect fit of his suit.

Courage surged through her. She stepped more into the doorway, far enough that Damon couldn't miss her.

She watched his eyes widen and a smile begin to cross his lips. His eyes exploded with emotion and with that one look she was completely sure she was making the right decision..

* * *

He heard the music begin to play. It sounded like a funeral song. The death of his happiness. He chuckled humourlessly at his own melodrama and turned round to see Katherine at the start of the aisle. He should have put on more of a show and at least pretended to love his bride.

The screwed up mess of his life hit him in that moment. Here he was, a grown ma, blackmailed into marrying a woman he didn't love after breaking his own heart and the heart of the woman he loved while doing so. Elena would never speak to him again as long as she lived. She was constantly on his mind, and he suspected she always wou

His eyes registered some movement coming from behind the woman walking towards him.

A beautiful, brown-eyed girl stood in the doorway. He felt his heart explode in his chest just at the sight of her. A wide, smile spread over his face. He didn't know why she was hear, but she was hear.

As fast as she had appeared she was gone, blending into the background, unseen by any other guests.

His eyes met his mother's who's excitement was mirrored in their identical eyes. She had seen her too. He faced the front. He would get through this.

The preacher rambled through the traditional greetings and words. The words skimmed over him but he'd always had the talent of pretending to be interested.

"-speak now or forever hold your peace."

His heart pounded as her heard those words and from the horrified look on the preacher's face he knew what had happened. He spun round to face a a girl, his beautiful, brown-eyed girl, who was currently standing in the chapel, all eyes on her with expressions ranging from anger to mortification.

His mother stood up, her eyes gleaming.

It was her who spoke first.

"You're marrying the wrong girl, son." She the strutted out of the room, eyes following her. She squeezed Elena's arm lightly before exiting in a dignified fashion.

A hushed silence fell over the audience. They were all holding their breath, waiting for his next action.

His blue eyes locked with her brown ones.

His father was standing fuming, as was his brother and Katherine. She would be humiliated. Her groom leaving her at the altar. He couldn't care less.

He ran at her, quickly closing the distance between them. He cupped her face in his hands and dragged his eyes all over her face, determined to memorize ever aspect even more than he already had. He hesitated no more before crushing his lips to her for the first time in what felt like an eternity. She responded immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding him close.

"God, I love you. I love you so fucking much." He murmured against her lips. Passion exploding between them and all hell broke loose around them.

* * *

**Okay, I'm actually pretty annoyed at how short this is but I wanted this chapter to stand alone with no other event messing with it. I'm sorry this is short but I hope you're enjoying this?**

**-Exo**

* * *

**HUGE HUGE _HUGE _THANK YOU TO 'MARHEART96' ! People who don't write fanfiction can't understand the impact a good review or a personal message can have on people. If it's nice and inspiring it powers you to write more! Thank you again!**


	8. If

Within moments Giuseppe was in front of her, shoving Damon forcefully towards his brother who held him back with what looked like a surprisingly strong grip.

"You stupid girl! You have no place here!" His father hissed at her with a hard voice but she stood firm and proud, making Damon's heart swell with pride.

"Damon is here, that's where I belong. Perhaps you shouldn't be here." Her voice was steady and her eyes full of anger. He watched her turn to walk away but Giuseppe grabbed her shoulder and turned her back towards him roughly, his grip strong enough to leave bruise.

He leaned in closer to her, she made her face remain impassive but she was shaking inside. This man truly scared her. She turned quickly and forcefully, heading towards the door.

A flash of pain clouded her thoughts before she was over come by darkness.

* * *

Rage flashed through him as he saw his father grab Elena's shoulder's and spin her round to face him. His eyes were cold and would have frozen the heart of most people but she was strong and met his gaze with steady eyes.

She turned once more to walk away, more forcefully this time, but his father had never been one for being defied. He let his anger get the best of his and followed his actions through without a second of thought.

He watched as his hand flew out to smack his hand against Elena's temple.

His rage increased as he watched Elena fall. Terror gripped his heart as her head hit off one of the seats. Hard.

A stunned silence washed over the crowd.

Several seconds passed before several of the male members rushed forward to contain Giuseppe. He went without a fight to a back room. His hands were shaking.

He stood staring at Elena's motionless form lying on the floor. A large cut gaped at her head and her face was the colour of bone.

He didn't know how to react. He was frozen. He didn't even know first aid.

It wasn't until a crowd gathered around her, blocking her from his view did he snap back to life.

"Move!" He barged through the crowd and cradled her in his arms. "Call a fucking ambulance. And the fucking police." his voice was that of a feral stranger. No one questioned him.

The wait was endless. He was terrified. His brother had suffered an injury much like this when he was younger. He'd spent a week in hospital after memory loss. His heart froze.

He pushed the thought form his mind and focused on the dead weight in his arms. He pressed a kiss to her forehead as an ambulance pulled up. Followed by a police car. He'd happily lock his own father up for what he did to Elena. Hell, he'd lock him up no matter who he did it to.

"'Scuse me, son. You're gonna have to let go now." A kind voice made him look up to a old paramedic. His eyes were soft but firm. "We need to check her out, if it's serious she needs to be at a hospital." He glanced over to the police officer who was talking to a few guest all who pointed him out. "And it seems like you need to give the police a statement."

He stood up, gently helping the paramedic help Elena onto a stretcher. He nodded at the police officer walking towards him. When he glanced back, his girl was being loaded into an ambulance. The sight made him grind his teeth. He was going to fucking kill his father.

"Sir, we've taken your father into custody, but if you could just accompany me to the station..."

The officer droned on and on about his rights and what he would be expected to do. He listened vaguely and allowed the police to escort him to the station. His father would not get away with this. He was sure.

* * *

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He was so fucking angry, he wanted to punch all these police officers and make them do their fucking job properly.

"I'm sorry Mr Salvatore, but your father has people backing him up. He says it was an accident and we have no evidence against the matter."

"And? What about me? And when can I fucking leave and see her? In case you haven't noticed I've had a fucking bad day."

He glared at the two police officers. The elder one was doing he talking as the younger one stood back, presumably unsure of what to say.

"You can leave when we're done questioning you."

'Questioning me? I'm sorry, but you need to interview a few other people form the wedding. That punch was no accident."

He stood up and barged past the officers. They let him go without a fight.

* * *

"Where is she?" His voice was more panicked that it should have been. "Where is she?" He glanced around and spotted a desk.

"Elena Gilbert." The young nurse didn't even glance up.

"No visitors." her tone was lazy and uninterested. Time for drastic measures. He glanced at her name card.

"Emma." He spoke seductively. He snorted to himself when that made the girl glance up. It was a tiny boost to his ego when her eyes widened as she looked at him. He looked pretty good, even after the day he'd had.

"Can you please just bend the rules and let me in?" He wasn't proud of the way he was manipulating the girl but desperate times call for desperate measures.

"I, uh, Yes, uh, I'm sure, uh." She paused and gulped "Room 34b." She pointed down a hall.

He sped of after a hurried thanks and saw a crowd of doctors around the corner.

"-not good, there will be memory loss most likely-"

"We won't know the full effects until she wakes. If she wakes."

"She was asking for someone-Damon I think- before she passed out but there's no number."

"We should contact him, he should be here."

His heart pounded in his chest as he skidded around the corner.

"Damon Salvatore." He noted the looks on the doctors' faces. Pity, sadness and surprise.

"Come with me, Mr Salvatore." This didn't sound promising. He tried to calm down and forget about the snatches of conversation he had heard. Three words echoing in his brain.

_If she wakes. If. If. If. If._

If wasn't good enough. He needed when.


	9. Waiting

Consciousness seared through her body. Her first instinct was to open her eyes; to move; to talk but she couldn't. She struggled against the fog crowding her mind. Where was she? Why couldn't she move. She couldn't remember anything. The last thing she remembered was that blue eyes man at the bar. God, he'd been gorgeous. Maybe she'd gotten so wrecked she'd passed out. She felt dizzy and light-headed – the way you get after holding your breath slightly too long or running too fats and not catching your breath. Assuming she'd passed out somewhere she relented in her inward struggle to wake up and she allowed the blackness to consume her.

* * *

He waited. And waited. Endless waiting. Nurses came and went. Doctors came and told him to leave. He vehemently refused. No way he was leaving her. He refused to talk to the police until the had evidence to arrest his father. He sighed. He'd been here for the night after the wedding and the following days. The third day after the wedding was ticking closer. With each minute, another part of him chipped away.

He'd been home once, to grab clothes to wear, but only when he desperately needed to. He hadn't even changed out of his tux yet. He must have looked strange. His black tuxedo and white dress shirt with a black skinny tie tied loosely around his neck. His hair was messy as his hands had been run through it several times. His eyes were what gave him the haunted look. They were dark and tired, deep shadows permanently etched onto his skin. He was a mess.

* * *

A week had passed since he'd last seen those beautiful brown eyes. He'd struck up an uneasy compromise with the hospital -he would leave every night and sleep at home but he didn't leave until late at night and arrived early the next morning. He barley spoke. He ate. He slept. He waited.

"Damon?" His head snapped round at the sound of his brother's voice. Anger burned through him.

"Is she asleep?" He glared at his brother.

"No. She hasn't woken up yet." His brother's face paled as he glanced at Elena's still frame.

"I went to the police." He stopped talking, he seemed unsure of how to continue "I told them it was Dad's fault."

He stared at his brother in wonder. He'd gone to the police. He couldn't believe his ears.

"He's in custody, facing assault charges." Stefan looked at Elena again. "Will she wake up?"

He didn't answer. Stefan had asked the question he'd been avoiding for days.

"She has to." He gestured at the empty chair beside him, inviting Stefan to sit. He felt his brother's presence and relaxed slightly. "None of her family have been to see her. They couldn't get flights. Bad storm or something." He leaned forward and rubbed his face. "She only has me."

He didn't know why he was confessing to his brother. They'd never been close, except as children. As Stefan had reached adulthood he had grown closer to their father and further away from him.

"You are all she needs , brother, but if that is not enough. She has me too."

He looked at his brother in astonishment, waiting for an explanation.

"I fell for her too. I didn't treat her right, I didn't want to get to close to her after what happened with Lexi- I thought I would be betraying her memory or something, but she was really special."

Lexi had been his brother's best friend for years before they got together. They had been completely in love until Lexi had been killed in a car accident the night Stefan proposed. His brother had lost his way and got into some trouble and he'd had pulled him through and taken the blame.

He'd got into dealing, as way of making easy money and been caught with drugs. He had received a call from his pleasing for help. He'd wordlessly given it. He'd taken the blame without Stefan realising it. He'd insisted the drugs were his and he'd blackmailed Stefan into collecting them.

Luckily, the cops hadn't questioned any further. They had accepted his story and arrested him on charges of dealing and possession of a Class A drug. He'd been willing to do jail time if it meant Stefan would get his life back on track but Giuseppe had caught wind of it and hired a good lawyer to get him off free of charge.

He'd been grateful but in the three years since it had been held over his head, used as leverage for blackmail. He was always threatening to drag up new evidence that would bring the whole story - and Stefan - into question. He couldn't let his baby brother go to jail after everything he'd been through so he'd caved. To every single demand his father made. If it made him weak for defending his only brother he would gladly take that title.

Even after everything he and his brother had been through, Stefan was still here. Still offering silent comfort to him much like he had done all those years ago when Lexi had passed.

"I'm glad you're here, brother."

* * *

Consciousness returned once more. This time with more memories. A night on a rooftop with a stranger. A stranger with blue eyes. She'd struggled to piece together the time she had missed but her mind was fog, her body trapped, unable to move.

It frustrated her. How long had she been like this? She didn't know, she felt like she'd simply fallen asleep and woken up in the middle of the night. She fought against the darkness threatening to consume her. She'd pushed back the barriers and fought. Hard.

Her mind focused on small areas of her body. Her fingers, her toes. She pushed every ounce of her strength to open her eyes but they were heavy and her limbs felt like lead.

Her senses were useless. She couldn't hear properly, she couldn't see at all. She could think though and she counted herself lucky she could think within the privacy of her own mind. She could feel the cold sheets beneath her and the occasional pressure on her hand.

The pressure was there right now. She concentrated and used the reserves of her energy to twitch her fingers.

Faint alarms and muffled voices vaguely registered. A soft touch against her forehead and a light pressure on her shoulder. A voice, so quiet she didn't know if it was real.

"Wake up. I need you. I love you."

Who was that? The melodic voice awoke some memory buried deep within her brain. _She had to remember. _

Her concentration dropped. The blankness creeping up on her. She couldn't fight it. She gave in a succumbed to the darkness.

* * *

He had had to practically force his brother out of the door, demanding he get some rest. He slipped silently to the bed where she lay and crouched next to it, holding her hand whispering that he loved her.

If he'd been focused on the machines he would have seen the screen monitoring her heart rate flash insistently. The doctor's didn't believe she was conscious but she _was._

A slight twitch of her finger was all he needed. A fire fuelled by hope erupted through him as the machines burst into life.

Doctors ran into the room and nurses dragged him away. He fought with all his might and swooped in to press a kiss to her forehead.

"Wake up. I need you. I love you." He was dragged away without a fight.

He didn't know what they were doing to her but he knew they were different form the police. They would do everything humanly possible to help her.

"Mr Salvatore?" He whipped around to see the senior doctor in charge of Elena. They were so puzzled by her they had assigned more than one doctor to figure out what was wrong.

"Yes?" he breathed, barely hoping to hope.

"We know what caused this." He held his breath and waited for him to continue. "She hit her head, and the injury was bad enough but her unconscious state awoke an underlying lung problem. She wasn't breathing deeply enough and her body shut down."

He froze. He was hoping for good news. This wasn't good news. This was an explanation but he needed more answers.

"Now we know what went wrong we can fix it. Her chances are now incredibly good. We can almost surely say she will wake up."

There was a pause that stretched out after he finished speaking. An unsaid 'but' which was left unspoken.

"But?" The doctor sighed.

"I'm sorry, Mr Salvatore, but although there in no damage to her brain it is likely she will experience memory loss. You must prepare yourself for that."

He sank down into the chair closest to him and buried his face in his hands. They had just met. She didn't remember him. He knew she didn't. Nothing could prepare him for this.

"Damon." He lifted his head to see his mother standing there. "I'm so sorry,"

He said nothing. He should be angry. She had abandoned him after the wedding and they hadn't spoken in weeks, but he wasn't. He stood and wrapped his arms around his mother, burying his face in her neck. He didn't want answers or comfort and he wouldn't get it. His mother was the strong, silent type – a trait that both he and his brother had inherited. None of them wasted breath with useless words of comfort, they were simply there, a constant presence in each other's lives.

"Mr Salvatore?" He whipped around once more, staring hopefully at the doctor who had come to see him.

"She's awake."


	10. Memories

Her eyes flew open. Her mind tried to piece together her life. Her life which was scattered in fragments around her brain. She remember everything clearly up until the night after her blue eyed stranger kissed her and bundled her into a taxi. After that it was a mess of emotions, heartbreak and deep, piercing blue eyes.

The heard shouting around her and machine beeping insistently. Her mind worked in overdrive.

_Who was he?_

"Miss Gilbert? What is the last thing you remember?" A kind voice registered in her brain.

"The-the night I met him. He had blue eyes." Concern flooded the doctors gaze.

She heard him say softly to a female nurse.

"Tell him what she said." The nurse looked so sad it made her want to cry. She was causing someone pain, she needed to know who.

She didn't remember his name, but she remembered his eyes and her feelings towards him. A mess of jumbled memories was all she could remember of their time together.

Her confusion lifted slightly as a blue eyed man – so different from the one she remembered flew through the door, yelling and asking where she was.

Her eyes lifted and met his gaze, the pain and loss etched there but undeniable happiness and love shone from their depths.

A blur of memories slotted into place and a haze of feeling and emotions washed over her.

* * *

_A cab screeched to a stop in front of them and he gestured for her to take it. She looked at him regretfully before leaning in to kiss him softly on the cheek. He rose and eyebrow before capturing her lips, pulling her in and holding her tight. Her world exploded with fireworks. The magic spell was broken by the cab's horn beeping loudly. She glanced at him smiling before jumping him_

* * *

_Sitting in a coffee shop with this mysterious man when a name is called out. Two figures appear, one warm; one cold._

* * *

Blank. Her mind struggled to remember.

* * *

"_See you, brown eyes." He didn't even glance at his parents before pressing his lips to her softly. She smiled. She nodded once to his father and smiled at his mother- polar opposites she thought- and walked out the room holding her head high._

* * *

_She didn't say a word but her raised eyebrows said it all. That was all it took for his to launch himself at her, tickling her mercilessly. She fought back. Hard. She was master at this. It wasn't until they ended up rolling around on the carpet, out of breath that they stopped. He was currently pinning her to the floor with one hand holding both of hers about his head and the other taking his weight off of her. His eyes were dark with lust and she was sure hers were full of hunger and passion. _

_There was no hesitation now. He crashed his lips to hers, devouring her with fire and electricity that exploded under his touch. He freed one of her hands and it twisted it's way up to his hair with one hand still pinned above her head. She bit his lower lip softly and he moaned and began to place kisses down her jaw, her neck, her shoulder blades. She freed her other hand and used both hands to pull his lips back to meet hers. Her hands snaked down his neck to his shirt slowly unbuttoning it and revealing his perfect chest. Her hands ran over the hard planes of his stomach, feeling every muscle and tendon. He grabbed her hands and moved them back to his neck while his started exploring her body. With each touch she was on fire._

* * *

_A beautiful haughty girl stepped into her apartment. Katherine Petrova. Ex-fiancée. _

* * *

She gasped as so many memories filled her brain, some where as clear as if they had just happened and some were slight and blurred, only certain memories and key points registering.

* * *

_Those blue eyes looked at her as if they looked right into her very soul _

"_I never loved her and I never thought I would love anybody, but here I am, and let me tell you, I'm falling for you, brown eyes. I'm falling for you hard." She didn't answer him, she didn't need to. She answered him with a kiss so full of passion she almost exploded. She didn't tell him she loved him back. But she did. Oh she did._

* * *

_She felt her heart breaking as she walked away from that man. She knew he hadn't meant to hurt her but he had. She'd bared her heart for him and he'd shattered it into a million pieces._

* * *

_That night, so filled with heartbreak she hadn't had the strength to open the door. The memories were painful but precious. He had confessed his love and she had made him walk away. She knew one thing for sure: she still loved him._

* * *

_Those painful days leading up to his wedding. Planning with Caroline. Throwing herself into her work to distract herself. It hadn't worked. Her feelings hadn't faded._

* * *

_Her heart pounding in her chest as she prepares to crash someone's wedding. She took a deep breath before hearing her cue._

"_Speak now or forever hold your peace." _

_She stepped out into the aisle, watching as the audience fell silent. _

_His mother, Elizabeth, stood up, coming towards her and murmuring comforting words – not just to her, but to the entire audience – but she wasn't listening. She was staring at him, urging him to make his choice._

_Tense seconds passed that each felt like a lifetime. _

_She barely registered him leaving his bride's side and launching himself at her, cupping her face and staring at her face, as if intent on memorizing it._

_He crushed his lips to hers and devoured her with the pent up desire and longing they had been denying the past month. Her arms wrapped around him, holding him closer to her._

"_God I love you, I love you so fucking much." _

* * *

Her eyes flew open again. The fell on the blue-eyed man who stared at her as if unsure of how to react.

"Elena? Do you know his name?"

She wanted to scream_ "I don't know his name but I know everything else!"_

She struggled to make her mouth work. She couldn't put this situation into words. So she shook her head. She watched as his eyes lost their shine, they turned into haunted shadows of what was once beautiful, icy orbs.

The stranger walked towards her and crouched beside her bed.

"I love you, brown eyes, don't forget that." His eyes glistened with tears.

"Mr Salvatore! She does not remember you! Do not confuse her!" The words sounded so harsh that even this blue eyed man, who had always seemed so strong, faltered.

Salvatore. Salvatore. Stefan Salvatore. Stefan's brother. _Salvatore_.

"Damon." she breathed out, so amazed by this man. This man had walked into her life and turned it upside down.

She hesitated no longer before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him softly but so full of love he was taken aback. He returned her kiss and under his touch, everything – all the missing memories and unimportant details slotted into place. She pulled away and he pressed his forehead to hers.

"I love you." A tear escaped her and rolled down her cheek. She felt him wipe it away with his thumb.

"Mr Salvatore, you must go home and rest. You many come back as soon as you have refreshed and eaten."

She wanted to tell him not to go but he was a mess. A beautiful mess at that, but still a mess. His face was gaunt and pale, his clothes were crumpled and his hair was out of place, of course, it always was but in the current circumstances...

He kissed her lightly, and she felt the same fireworks she'd always felt. She closed her eyes and sank back into the cushions. Exhaustion washed over her and her eyelids felt heavy. Before she could open her eyes again she had drifted into a deep sleep. The kind that always helps you recover; the kind that could refresh you even if it was only for five minutes; it was a sleep filled with images of her blue eyed stranger. A stranger who had stolen her heart.


	11. Soon

He trembled as he held her. He was in shock. She'd pulled through. She'd fought against all odds to overcome almost any serious injuries.

Now she slept peacefully in his arms. She looked so happy and carefree beneath her closed eyelids. He pressed a gentle kiss against her forehead. In some deep reside within his mind he was scared; terrified that she wouldn't wake up again if he fell asleep. He was fighting against the exhaustion but his eyelids were growing heavy. He stared at Elena's sleeping form and tried to comfort himself. He couldn't live without her. He _wouldn't_.

He fished in his pocket for his phone without disturbing Elena and unlocked in – smiling at the wallpaper that still had to change. He scrolled through the contacts before hitting Caroline's and dialling it.

_"Damon? Is Elena awake?"_ Caroline's sleepy voice oozed with so much excitement it was contagious. He felt a pang of guilt. No one knew Elena was awake except him.

"yeah, she is-" A loud squeal exploded through the phone that was so loud he felt Elena stir in his arms."

"Shut up Caroline! I need your help!" He sighed as the insistent chaos spewing from her mouth didn't cease. "Caroline, I need a fucking ring!" He had hissed it so quietly he was sure Elena hadn't heard.

Silence. For a second he thought the blonde had hung up.

_"No. Way."_ He smirked, he'd registered _the _Caroline Forbes speechless.

"Yep, so tomorrow – meet you in town around ten?" He was trying to end the conversation. He was desperate to fall asleep with Elena in his arms. At last.

He nuzzled his face into her neck and kissed her ear. His arms tightened around her as he succumbed to the sleep his body was craving and slept peacefully for the fist time in what felt like forever.

* * *

He awoke the next morning and glanced at the time. 9:33. He groaned and gently moved Elena off of him before standing and stretching. He had to meet Blondie in half a hour and he wasn't quite ready to leave just yet. He was reluctant to leave her without note of his absence yet be was also reluctant to wake her.

He walked out of the room and collared one of Elena's nurses.

"If she wakes up tell her I'm in town." The nurse nodded. They had been good with his demands. They had seen the haunted look in his eyes and pale face. They had seen a man who was truly broken.

He wandered out of the hospital, earning curious glances form several staff who knew his face. He had vowed not to leave until Elena did. He shrugged them off and walked to his car and glanced at the time. 9:41. Blondie would have a fit if he was late and it took about fifteen minutes to get into town. He sighed and powered off.

He pulled up just before ten and spotted an impatient Caroline pacing in front of a jewellery store. She glanced at him before running over and dragging him against his will into an incredibly girly jewellery store.

Caroline immediately rushed over to consult with the clerk, comparing size and clarity and all the other stuff people talked about when it came to rings.

He wandered aimlessly among the counters. He was sure he would see one and he would just _know. _

After a couple of minutes, Caroline appeared and dragged him over to the larger more showy rings. Babbling about how 'Elena' they were. He took one look at them and cringed. They weren't anything like what Elena would want. He left the two woman gushing about everything and wandered over to a counter in the far corner. Thank god he wasn't a girl.

He glanced in uninterestedly and was about to look away before a flash of light caught his eye.

A beautiful gold ring lay nestled in the velvet. It had three small diamonds placed in it – the middle one larger. He tilted his head to the side, intrigued by the colours the ring reflected.

With every change of light, a new image was formed. A new spectrum of colours bounced off the surface and made the ring more that just pretty or beautiful. It was breathtaking.

He didn't have to heart to drag the original clerk away so he motioned to another one who came scuttling over. He pointed quickly.

"That." The clerk looked at him incredulously.

"Sir, I am shocked. No one has ever noticed to beauty of that ring before. I doubt many of my fellow staff even know about it." He shook his head sadly. "It is a beautiful piece. It will do well on your lady's finger."

He smiled at the clerk. He nodded his agreement and watched as it was carefully taken and placed in a small black velvet box. He didn't care about the price, money was never a problem. His heart was thudding – a million questions running through his mind. When? How? Where? With who? He shoved the questions aside and pushed the box deeper into his pocket. It would stay there until he had figured out the right time.

"Caroline! We're done!" The blond gaped and turned to him.

"What? Damon! You can't buy her a ring without letting me see!" The blonde was working herself into a hissy fit and he was getting increasingly annoyed with her.

"Nope." It was all he said but he knew his tone invited no further questions. "Bye Caroline."

He strolled out of the shop and stopped to thank the helpful clerk.

"Thank you." And he meant it.

"No problem, sir. I'm just glad someone finally appreciated it's beauty." He smiled and walked to his car. He felt as light as air yet the ring in his pocket was like a million pounds on his shoulders.

* * *

"So I can finally go home?" Elena was buzzing around excitedly. She'd been kept in for over a week since she'd woken and was eager to get home. He hugged her tightly and spun her round.

"Yes!" He laughed and grabbed her stuff.

To be fair, it was mostly his but he didn't want to admit to that. He grabbed her hand and towed her through the hallways. He was glad to be leaving, the bare walls and familiar faces had become just that. Familiar. He wasn't comfortable with being able to recognize doctors and nurses and know them by name. He knew who had what shifts and knew little details. He didn't want to be familiar with them in this situation.

He dumped the stuff in the boot and opened Elena's door before jumping in himself. His smile couldn't be contained as he pictured Elena at home. Safe.

* * *

As soon as they burst through the doors of her apartment Elena's lips were on his. The passion they held was awe inspiring. There had been no discussion or hesitation. They both knew what they wanted and weren't willing to wait any longer. It was as if they had been away from each other for months not weeks. He kissed her deeply before breaking off and placing kisses down her neck and unbuttoning her shirt as he did.

She used her arms to pull his face to meet hers and holding him in place. Her hands snaked down his chest to reach the hem of his shirt before she pulled it off of him – baring his chest. He wasn't normally bashful, he was anything but, but with her it was different. It was more personal. More real. He was stunned by her fierce drive but it was still her. Still Elena. He kissed her rawly. This was passion. Pure undeniable passion that came with lust and hunger. And love.

He looked into her deep brown eyes and kissed her softly.

"I love you. So much." She smiled and crushed his lips against her, murmuring against them.

"I love you. I love you. I love you."

They lost themselves in each other, rediscovering the passion that hadn't been lost, only pushed to the side while other, more pressing issues took their place. Their love was not something easily forgotten. He loved this girl, more than he'd ever loved anybody or anything. He would make her his. Soon.

* * *

**It's been a while since i've updated! I'm so sorry! MORE UPDATES SOON!**

**-E xo**


	12. Wide Awake

She was blissfully happy. The past few days had been heaven. Damon was amazing. She was lost in his love and passion. She was overwhelmed and scared as hell but she liked it. It was what she needed. She was in her apartment right now waiting for Damon. She missed him like hell.

"Elena?" A voice burst her little bubble of contentment.

She whirled around, shocked by his voice.

"Stefan? What the hell do you want?"

Stefan paused, seemingly unsure of how to continue. "I want another chance, Elena. I really do. I think I love you it just took seeing you with him to realise it."

Rage coursed through her veins. He thought he could come in and say that to her? He thought proclaiming his love – with was undoubtedly brought on by jealously – would turn her away from Damon.

"No, Stefan. I love him – not you." The words sounded harsh but he needed to hear them. He couldn't be left with even a glimpse of hope. He was too persistent.

She watched him draw nearer, a strange look in his eyes which she couldn't place.

"You love me, Elena. You always have, always will." his voice cut through her. He put her on edge. She'd never been completely comfortable around him.

Then she felt cold lips on hers and unasked for hands roaming her body. She was shoved backwards into a wall and she felt something behind her shatter and break. A mirror. She struggled to push him away but he was strong. He held firm, claiming her even though she was someone else's.

His lips attacked her neck and his hands fingered her jeans. She knew he would leave marks, marking her out. Fear overtook her. She struggled futilely, unable to push him away. His hands grabbed her wrists, pinning them above her head. She felt bruises forming under his harsh grip. She closed her eyes and stopped fighting, waiting for him to stop. It had to stop eventually.

He took her cease of struggle as acceptance and doubled his kiss. It was cold and hard and meaningless to her, but to him she knew he would feel something completely different. His hands were hard on her waist, leaving more bruises. A single tear leaked out her eye and trailed down her cheek.

Stefan paused, tasting the salt on his lips. He glanced up, his eyes confused and he took in her pained state. He let out an anguished cry, like that of a wounded animal.

"I'm sorry, Elena. I'm so sorry."

And he fled the room.

She crumpled, unable to comprehend what had just happened. She shook uncontrollably, leaning against the door for support. She felt dirty, violated.

She hurried to the bathroom and ran a bath, desperate to rid herself of the feel of him. She gratefully sunk into the hot water and tried to forget about what had just occurred.

She didn't know how long she lay there for – long enough for the water to turn cold. With a groan she heaved herself up and got ready for bed.

She caught a glance of herself in the full length mirror. There were marks all down her neck. They weren't loving – small tokens of affection, then were dark and angry, some looking more like a bruise. She cringed as she looked over the rest of her body. Dark bruise blossoming around her hips and shoulder, with dark marks around her wrists.

She hurried over to her closet and cursed when a sharp pain sliced through her foot. She glanced down at the dark red leaking out onto her pale carpet. She'd stood on part of the mirror. At this moment she didn't care. She wanted sleep. Nothing more.

More tears leaked out and she rummaged through her drawers. She pulled out a long sleeved top and sweats and dragged them over her body, hiding the marks of the night.

She didn't want to wait up for Damon and face his questions about the broken fragments of mirror that lay around the floor and the blood that had stained the carpet.. He would assume the worst. She couldn't lose him. She crawled into bed and wrapped the duvet around her. She couldn't sleep for a long time, her eyes fixed on the dark wall, ugly thoughts staining her mind.

* * *

He groaned. He was so late. He should have been at Elena's over an hour ago. Damn traffic. He glanced at his phone and frowned. No missed calls – not even a text. A worry settled in his stomach and he pressed his foot down, eager to get home to her. He liked the sound of that. Home. He'd spend so much time there that's what it felt like but with him the expression 'home is where the heart is' actually made sense.

He pulled into the parking lot of her apartment block and hurried to her door. He knocked lightly, almost anxious for her reaction. No answer. He frowned again. Was she sick or something? He fished out the key Caroline had given him weeks ago and unlocked the door.

Darkness. What? Now he was really confused. He shut the door gently and edged to Elena's bedroom, quietly opening the door.

"'Lena? You oka-" he stopped dead in his tracks as he took in the room.

Broken mirror; blood – but that wasn't what stopped him. What stopped him was Elena's eyes, which were wide and staring, fixed on a patch of wall. They were haunted and she was pale as bone.

He didn't what had happened. He sat on the bed softly and began to rub soothing circles on her back. She cringed away from him. She _cringed. _He head snapped round and her eyes lost some of the sad hauntedness they had held and she relaxed slightly.

His hands resumed there circling as he edged closer to her. Her breathing evened out as she fell asleep. She looked so peaceful, the tightness gone from her face. He stroked her hair away from her face and neck and leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek. As he leaned in her noticed several marks marring her neck.

He froze and pulled back, before stroking his hand over the marks. He hadn't put them there. His heart dropped to his stomach. She had let another man touch her? Kiss her? Even after everything they had been through he clearly wasn't enough.

He sat up and trailed his gaze over the rest of her body, taking in every detail. Dark bruises covering her hips and her wrists were red and the bruises that were forming there looked as if a hand had been clasped around it too tightly. He noticed her back was red and raw. His heart was thudding a million thoughts overwhelming his brain. His mind refused to process what he saw. He would rather believe she had cheated on him than been assaulted. He sank back into the soft pillows, his mind working on overdrive, flicking through possible scenarios. Who?

He lay there listening to her breathing. She woke at one point, her breathing speeding up and she was twitching slightly. She made no move to curl into him and is broke his heart just a little.

The hours dragged on, sleep didn't come to him. He knew that next to him Elena lay wide awake.

He couldn't decide what had happened. He couldn't bring himself to ask. He couldn't stand if something had happened to her while he hadn't been there and he couldn't stand if she had been with another man.

* * *

**A/u: Uh, yeah. I seem to like leaving you guys hanging..**

**Don't worry, I know where I'm going with the next chapter. Will be up soon! Love you guys! **

**Please review, it means the world to me!**

**-E x**


	13. What Happened?

Light flooded the room. She hadn't slept. She glanced at Damon who was lying rigid beside her. She crossed her arms over herself in an attempt to hold herself together.

It didn't work.

A single tear leaked out her eyes and down her cheek. Her movement cause Damon to glance over and look at her – his eyes hard and pained.

The hardness evaporated as he took in her appearance. He sat quickly and pulled her gently into his arms. She held herself together through nothing more than how much it would hurt Damon if he knew the truth. She would stay silent. She could talk to Caroline and avoid Stefan like the plague. Damon didn't need to know.

"What happened last night?" Damon's voice took away her choice. Those four words made the choice for her.

"It's fine. It doesn't matter." Damon's icy eyes hardened, for the first time they looked truly like ice. Cold, hard, and impenetrable.

"It fucking does matter, Elena!" His eyes blazed with anger as he lifted up her top to reveal her hips. They were marking with bruises which looked too much like fingerprints for her liking.

She yanked away from him and rolled out of bed. Stumbling to the bathroom she called to Damon over her shoulder "It doesn't matter!"

Even to her her voice sounded panicked. It was too high pitched. She felt arms grab her waist and pull her back. She felt herself being spun around to meet his eyes.

"Elena. Just tell me, okay?" She didn't say anything, she just looked at him silently, wanting nothing more than to run and hide. "Who did this, Elena?"

His eyes pleaded with her to understand. She felt her self-control crumble. She hurled herself into his arms and held him tightly, tears leaking out her eyes at a steady pace. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She felt his warm hands rub circles on her back. Pain flashed through her and she gasped and pulled away.

Concern was thick in his gaze. He gently lifted her top up to reveal her back. She felt him stiffen. She turned quickly to look at her self in the mirror. A large bruise was just visible under her shirt. She gaped and tore her shirt off, leaving her in nothing but a tight, cropped top. She heard Damon growl as he saw the full extent of her injuries.

Her hips were spotted with multicoloured marks from where Stefan's hands had gripped her. Her wrists were red and spotted with similar bruises. Her neck was a mess of red marks and purple bruises.

She felt Damon's hands on her shoulders, gently turning her round to look at her back. Her back was a mess of red, purple and blue. She grabbed her top from where it was lying on the ground and pulled it on quickly.

She made her way quickly to the bathroom leaving Damon fuming in the middle of her bedroom.

She was alone for a few minutes while she ran another bath, this one to ease the ache of her muscles.

She felt warm arms wrap around her and his face nestle into her shoulder.

They stood there for a long time, their presence simply a comfort to the other.

"I love you, brown eyes." His breath was warm in her ear and his voice was all she needed to relax. She spun in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck, this time her face was resting on his shoulder.

"I love you too." Then she pressed a warm kiss to his lips, murmuring against his lips how much she loved him. He laughed against her and pulled her top over her head as she did the same for him.

She rid herself of her pyjama shorts and slipped into the warm water. She waited for Damon to join her.

"Hey! I'm lonely!" She pouted in the way she knew would make him do anything. He crumbled and stepped out of his jeans and joined her in the warm water.

She pulled him into a passionate kiss. Fire and lust consuming them as it always did. It wasn't until that moment that she realised how long it had been since they had been together. She smiled at the thought and pulled his closer.

Their tongues battles for dominance until she felt Damon pull away slightly. She pulled back further and looked at him confused.

"Elena, what happened?" His tone was so soft and warm she almost melted. He wouldn't think any less of her.

"He-" She paused, she couldn't say his name, Damon would rip apart his brother without a seconds worth of thought. "He came over last night and he talked I suppose. He begged me to take him back. I said no and he kissed me. It's no big deal."

He pulled me closer to him, hugging me tightly. She knew he knew that wasn't all that happened but she also knew he knew she didn't want to talk about it.

He kissed her forehead lightly. "I can guess what happened." His constant acceptance even after everything made her heart swell. She pressed her forehead against his and he kissed her so sweetly it made her wonder how she'd ever thought Matt Donovan was a good kisser. She smiled at the thought then stood up, pulling Damon with her.

"Come on. Caroline's coming over, you need to go out." She watched as he pretended to run towards to door, terrified by the thought of Caroline. She giggled and skirted around him to head to the door, intending on getting ready.

She never got further that the bed before Damon's arms were wrapped around her pulling her onto the bed and kissing every inch of her available.

"Damon! No!" She giggled and tried to push him away. "Caroline will be here in like, an hour!" He continued to kiss his way up and down her body. She moaned and gave in. "God, you're insatiable. Five minutes!"

Her complaints were cut short by his lips capturing hers and his hands roaming. She was home.

* * *

He smirked as he watched her run around the room in a hurry to get ready.

"That was not five minutes!" She ranted at him and she rushed around trying to find her other shoe.

"Ah, you know me, completely insatiable." He frowned at her. "Why are you even wearing shoes? It's not like you're going out-" He was cut off by said shoe being thrown at his face.

"Damo-o-o-o-n!"

"Whining isn't attractive, brown eyes."

He grinned, delighted by her frown. He stood up and dragged on sweats, leaving his chest bare. He would get on Blondie's nerves when she got here. He kissed her cheek before wandering into the kitchen for coffee.

He groaned as the doorbell rang. He didn't even get a sip of his coffee before Blondie interrupted. He opened the door to find an obnoxiously bubbly blonde smiling at him.

"Damon, hey!" her voice was so loud it carried through the whole apartment. She lowered it considerably before adding "When you gonna do it?"

He silenced her with a glare before saying, almost silently under his breath "Soon. Although, I won't tell you when." He winked at her slyly.

"Whispering? What you guys plotting?" Elena's voice was sweet and suspicious and he inwardly cursed Blondie form stealing her from his bed.

"How to kill Caroline for stealing you from my bed." Well they do say honestly is the best policy.

She smiled and leaned over to kiss him. "Out. We want to talk." He smirked and went through to the bedroom to grab his shirt before sauntering out the door.

Before it closed he could hear Blondie mutter something that sounded strangely like "What, no PDA?"

He glanced back into the door before his lips were being devoured by Elena's. He smirked and pulled her in, ignoring Caroline's protests.

"I hate you, Blondie." he murmured against her lips. She pulled back and shoved him out the door.

"Love you!" Her voice was so infectious. It made you smile whether you wanted to or not.

He huffed, pretending to be hurt. "Love you 'Lens." with one more kiss he was out the door, away from Caroline's complaints and squealing.

He had somewhere to be. His dear brother needed a visit.

* * *

**Originally I was planning on doing a Caroline/Elena scene here but I didn't put it in because I wasn't sure. Next chapter will be Caroline and Elena & Damon confronting Stefan.**

**Love you all!**

-E xo


	14. Confrontations and Confessions

She felt Caroline's eyes on her as she flitted nervously around the kitchen. Maybe she was being paranoid but she was sure Caroline knew something and would bombard her with questions. She took a deep, calming breath. Act natural, right?

"Coffee?" She stretched to hand the blonde a cup of coffee. It seemed innocent enough until she felt the mug being yanked out of her hand and her wrist being pulled roughly forwards.

"Elena! What the hell happened?"

She sighed. She couldn't lie to Caroline. She could try but she'd be found out. She knew from past experience it never worked. Ever.

So she sat, bracing herself for the outburst that was sure to follow.

"Stefan came over last night, I don't even know how he got in, but he did. He told me her wanted me back. I told him no and obviously he didn't want to hear that."

She swallowed. What had happened to her wasn't that bad. She had been shocked and hurt but really, was she overreacting?

"Elena?" Caroline's voice was soft. She had moved closer to her on the sofa and she pulled her into a hug. "It may not seem like a lot, but it is. It really is."

She broke into a smile and hugged her bubbly friend. "Care, I swear you can read my mind!"

"Ah, you know me. I've always been able to." She smiled warmly. "Now, talk. You need it."

"He kissed me, and he got a bit rough. He slammed me into the wall and I hit a mirror so it cracked and fell down. He was too tight on my wrists, too forceful on my neck, too hard on my waist. Then he left suddenly. The whole thing was over in ten minutes. I don't know, Caroline! Why am I so worked up about this?"

"Elena, it's okay. You didn't expect it. No one would expect that. He hurt you. There are bruises everywhere! You deserve to be a little bit freaked."

Caroline was so easy to talk to. Yes, she may come across shallow and superficial but underneath she was one of the most genuine and understanding people you could meet. You just had to dig through to get there.

"I love you, Care." She laughed, the light sound warming the room instantly.

"Love you 'Lens. Suppose I'll stay with you until boyfriend gets back?"

She loved how Caroline could sense her mood. She knew she wasn't quite ready to be left alone yet.

"Food! Now!" She giggled and got up, grabbing food from her kitchen before returning to her friend who made her forget about everything important, just for a couple hours.

* * *

"Brother. What did you do last night?" Okay, Elena hadn't specifically told him it had been Stefan but he was pretty sure. She'd said they'd 'wanted her back' so he assumed it was an ex-boyfriend, so, Stefan.

He was pissed. More than pissed. He was fucking outraged. His wouldn't let his brother lay his lands on any girl unwillingly but Elena? Yeah, he was pissed.

Stefan's head snapped up and the look on his face confirmed his suspicions.

"She told you."

Rage burned in his eyes.

"Nope, you just did."

"Fuck."

Too right. His little brother couldn't force himself on his girlfriend then expect him not to find out. He advanced on him rapidly and soon they were nose to nose.

"What part of your brain made it seem like it was okay to force yourself on Elena? You do realise she's covered in bruise because you don't have a fucking ounce of self control?"

Silence. If anything, that annoyed him more. Shouldn't Stefan be apologising? Shouldn't he be saying something? No, he was silent. As if happy or content with what he'd done.

"I still have feelings for her. So shoot me."

"Don't tempt me, brother. You can't force yourself on someone."

The rage building up inside him increased dramatically as Stefan spoke again.

"Why not?"

His fist flew out involuntarily and connected Stefan's jaw. He felt the sickening thud and for once, it actually made him feel better.

"Because the girl you have feelings for happens to be my girlfriend, meaning you can't fucking kiss her!"

Stefan's eyes hardened but he didn't say another word. He only nodded briefly and sharply, his mouth set in a grim line.

Without another word, he was out the door, his stride sure and confident. That girl waiting for him meant more than just the traditional 'girlfriend' title. Much more.

* * *

He let himself into the apartment quietly and smiled when he saw Elena curled up on the sofa.

He padded over to her and woke her up sharply with a blow in her eyes.

She squealed adorably before smacking his ribs.

"Hey! Not funny!" She laughed as he hoisted her over his shoulder and spun her round while she screamed.

"Damo-o-o-on! Put me down!" she screamed again while he laughed at her. God, he was completely in love with this girl. He would marry her one day.

Then a thought struck him. He'd been agonizing over when he would propose, where he would propose and how he would propose but now he realised. Why not now? They were happiest here, by themselves.

He flipped her onto the sofa and looked at her smiling until she contained her laughter.

"What is it?" Elena's voice was concerned. He pressed her forehead against hers.

"God, I love you." She smiled and opened her mouth to say something but he silenced her with a kiss.

"I fell for you, within minutes. The second you jumped into that cab, I was yours. I just didn't know it yet. God, Elena, you're so amazing, too amazing for me to ask you this."

He crushed his lips to her, distracting her while he dug in his pocket for the little black box. He pulled away and knelt in front of her, her brown eyes shining.

"Elena Gilbert."

"Damon Salvatore." She smiled into his eyes, her mouth moments away from his lips as she leaned in, her lips in a wide smile.

Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to propose to her?

Yes. Yes he fucking was.

"Marry me." and he flipped open the box, the diamond nestling in the soft velvet.

Elena laughed musically and flung herself into his arms.

He stood spinning her round, smiling at her reaction.

"Is that a yes?"

She gaped at him astonished before crushing her lips to his. He could feel her smile against his lips.

"It's a yes."

He slid the ring onto her finger smiling as her grin faded to a look of silent wonder.

Their lips crashed together in a completely new way. It was certain and confident and powerful. It was passion, hunger, lust. It was raw, new and undeniable. It was all consuming.

He hovered above her, his icy eyes boring into her dark ones.

"I love you, brown eyes."

"I love you, stranger."

* * *

_Hope I did the whole proposal scene justice. I see a lot of fic's that convey Damon as really romantic and I tried to convey that but I also decided he shouldn't seem too soppy? Hope you liiiiiike!_


	15. Reunions

She woke up, stretching and coming into contact with Damon's hard body. She grinned and woke him with a kiss under his earlobe.

He groaned and rolled over, burying his face in the pillow murmuring incoherently.

"Up!"

He mumbled and she smiled. She swung her legs and sauntered to the bathroom and flicking on the shower.

"Take it you won't be joining-" She didn't get to finish her sentence before Damon was up, arms around her and charging her backwards towards the shower.

"Never." He spoke against her lips, she loved the feeling of it.

"You will never shower alone again, my beautiful fiancée." He punctuated each word with a kiss against her lips, he cheek, her ear, her neck. She was burning with each touch, the fire make her feel alive.

"I could get used to the sound of that." She laughed against him as he pushed her backwards into the warm shower.

She laughed softly as the hot water cascaded over her back.

"I love you, brown eyes."

* * *

"What is it with you and showers?" She groaned as she rushed around her apartment. She was late to meet Caroline again. She had a feeling Bonnie might be with her but she was close to both girls.

"I like showers." Damon smirked as he stood in the doorway to the bedroom wearing nothing but sweats and holding coffee out to her. "For my lovely fiancée."

She grabbed it and kissed him sweetly. He tried to pull her in for a longer kiss but she squealed.

"I'm already late!" She waved and rushed out the door before he could distract her again.

Ten minutes later she ran into Starbucks to see Caroline talking to Bonnie and some girl. She couldn't tell who it was but she was glad she was talking to someone, if she'd been alone she'd never hear the end of it.

"Care! Hey!"

"Hey 'Lens!" She smiled brightly at the girl before hugging her.

"See you soon, Kat?" Bonnie chimed in before also hugging her.

Shit. Katherine. Had Bonnie been so out of the loop she hadn't realised? No. Bonnie wouldn't deliberately stir things, she was just keeping up with her friends.

She nodded curtly at Katherine, who glared at her.

"Ah, the bitch who ruined my wedding day." Her tone was so hateful it caught her off guard. She held up her hands in surrender.

"I didn't come to start a fight with you, I just-" She was cut off my the look in Katherine's eyes. Pure, undisguised hatred. She stormed out of the cafe, barging her shoulder into her as she past.

Her hands were still raised and it was at this point Bonnie screamed and grabbed her hand.

"ELENA! OH MY GOD!"

She gaped at her friend in astonishment before she realised what Bonnie was so excited about.

"Yeah, I-"

"He did it? Is the ring okay? He left before he let me see it!" Caroline scowled.

She gaped at Caroline in shock.

"You knew! Caroline Forbes can keep a secret?" Caroline knew? Damon had told _Caroline? _What?

She laughed.

"Shut up! Let us see!" Bonnie and Caroline both grabbed her hand and stared at the beautiful diamond glinting on her finger.

"Why can't I marry him?" Bonnie wailed in exasperation as she started at her ring.

"Cause he's mine!" She giggled.

"Elena, it's gorgeous! It catches the light every time it move, it shoots different colours in all different directions!" Caroline was gushing, she was was unbearably happy.

They talked for hours in the way only woman can before she was forced to leave .

"Go and have hot monkey sex!" Caroline cheered while Bonnie hollered.

She laughed and walked out the door, take away coffee in hand.

She was so caught up in her own world she wasn't looking where she was going. She walked straight into a hard body, spilling coffee all down them.

"Oh! I'm so so-"

"Elena?" She looked up at the familiar voice, barely believing it. Her eyes bet those of her little brother.

"JEREMY!" And she hurled herself into his arms while she spun her round and round. He placed her on the floor and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Typical, first time I see you in months and you chuck coffee all over me." He grunted before pulling her into another hug. "You'll never guess who I'm here with. Matt and Tyler!"

"Really? I've not seen them in years!" Her brother laughed and pointed to a car park a few hundred metres away.

"They're parking the car, they'll be here in about five minutes." She broke into a huge grin at the prospect of seeing her childhood friends. She had moved from Mystic Falls to New York six years ago and though she had kept in touch they had drifted the last few years.

Her and her brother caught up, gossiping about everything, Their aunt, Caroline, Bonnie, his girlfriend Anna. She left out Damon, she didn't want the questions. It was lucky she had a brother not a sister. A girl would have noticed her ring in seconds.

"It's Elena Fucking Gilbert!" Tyler's voice yelled out. She screamed and charged towards him and flung her arms around his neck.

"Tyler!" She let go and greeted Matt equally as enthusiastically. "Matt!" He hugged her tightly and spun her round much like Jeremy had done.

She noticed Matt's eyes lingered a little to long but then again, then had been childhood sweethearts, what do you expect?

She linked her arms through Tyler's – they had been best friends throughout the years, and even a few years of no contact wouldn't change that.

"How long you guys been here? When you leaving?" She wanted them to stay, wanted them to meet everyone and be a part of her life.

"About a week, and indefinitely – we all got jobs here and moved out together." She smiled, her baby bro all grown up.

"Well, come over to my apartment! We can catch up properly there?" They smiled and Tyler hugged her once more.

Matt and Jeremy noticed the two of them and walked behind slightly, they had been inseparable, they needed to catch up.

"Well Gilbert, do I spy a ring? Who's the lucky guy?" She giggled and flung out her hand. It was so easy with Tyler. He was like a girl... but a guy.

'Yes, Lockwood, you do! And Damon." She laughed at Tyler's delighted expression.

He grinned and gave her a massive bear hug, yelling about how he didn't get to give the protective best friend speech.

"Don't worry, Caroline had it covered." His ears perked at the mentions of Caroline. He'd liked her since they were about six years old and she'd pushed his over and stolen his ball.

"Caroline's here?" She elbowed him and nodded. "Can't wait to catch up with her." He smirked and smiled sweetly at the thought. "Oh, and Bon." He added as an afterthought.

"My apartments at the top of this building – fourteenth floor, room 1456, can you stall Matt and Jer while I prepare Damon?"

He nodded and then couldn't resist the opportunity to tease her. "Nervous about Damon meeting the family? The ex-boyfriend? Oh. And the protective best friend!"

She laughed and pressed the button for her floor.

"Damon?" She called as she walked through the apartment.

"Yeah?" She laughed and jumped into his arms and kissed him softly.

"You're in a good mood. What's up?" He asked her, his eyes smiling.

"Good news or bad news." She smirked.

"Both, I don't care."

"I ran into my brother in town, along with a couple of my childhood friends." He smiled brightly.

"That's good right?" He looked confused.

"Well, yeah, but-" she dragged out the last words, enjoying the look on his face. "-But they're on their way up now and one of them is my best friend so prepare for the over-protective speech and one's an ex-boyfriend."

He grimaced. He'd already suffered through Caroline's 'best friend' speech. There was no way he could suffer through another one too.

"Well, my lovely fiancée-"

"Oh yeah. Ex-boyfriend and brother don't know about you." she trailed off to gauge his reaction, he didn't seem too angry.

She heard Tyler faintly shouting her name, gradually getting louder and louder, finally ending with a loud pounding on the door.

She laughed and dragged a grimacing Damon over to the door before flinging it open and hugging her childhood best friend.

"Nice to meet you, man. 'Lena told me Caroline had the best friend speech covered so I'll leave it at that."

She elbowed Tyler and winked at Damon.

"Thank god, that girl can talk!" She watched as the two guys talked, she was glad. Tyler was the most likely one of of all three which would hit off with Damon.

She caught sight of her brother's puzzled looks and Matt's jealous gaze. She sighed to herself. This would be fun.

"Matt, Jer, this is Damon." Damon broke off from his conversation with Tyler and winked at Matt, clearly sussing he was the 'ex-boyfriend'

"Her fiancé." He slid his arms around her waist and kissed her temple. She heard Tyler try to hold back laughter – unsuccessfully and she shot a glare at him before the two of them burst into silent hysterics.

"Good luck man, when those two get together they're a million times worse than Caroline and her." Jeremy nodded at Damon and hugged her. "Congrats sis." He laughed to himself. "I can't believe I didn't notice your ring. Jenna would have seen it in seconds."

"Yeah, congratulations Elena." Matt seemed slightly put out. She caught Tyler's eye and flopped down on the sofa next to him, holding tight to Damon's hand and pulling him down to.

"Damon, this is my best friend and practically my brother, Tyler." Tyler prodded her ribs so she smacked him across the head.

"God, you two really are worse than Caroline. _Two_ Carolines." He groaned and collapsed into the pillows.

"My baby bro, Jeremy." Damon nodded. "And Matt, family friend." Matt barely nodded so Damon winked at him and kissed her cheek. She smacked him across the head too.

She pulled out her phone and asked everyone to be quiet. More like she threatened them all until they shut up.

"Hey Care, you and Bonnie near my apartment? You are?" she laughed softly. "Come over, girls night? Yeah, see you in five."

She winked at Tyler. "Caroline and Bonnie will be hear in ten minutes. Anyone want a repeat of Bonnie's birthday party that year?"

Laughter erupted around the room and they snapped into actions immediately. They all grabbed water and flour and switched the lights off.

She crouched behind the sofa and pulled Damon with her, quickly explaining everything.

"Thank god I have wooden floors. Basically, on Bonnie's 18th we threw her a surprise party but all the guys loaded up with water and flour and completely wrecked them." She laughed at the memory while Damon sprung over the sofa and grabbed a cup of water and another of flour.

He looked at her innocently. "What? You do understand how annoying Caroline is sometimes?"

She laughed with the other's while Tyler slapped Damon on the back.

They sat in tense silence for the next few moments. Soon, the familiar sounds of their laughter drifted along the corridor. She avoided looking at Tyler, knowing she would burst out laughing.

The door creaked open.

"Elena? Why's it so dark-"

Screams cut off her sentence as the two girls were drenched in water then bombarded with flour. They screamed and yelled.

"ELENA! WHAT THE FUCK?"

"I HATE YOU!"

She winked at Tyler and rushed over to flick on the lights.

The girls screamed as they took in the familiar forms of their childhood friends. Tyler hurled over to Caroline while Bonnie flung her arms around both Matt and Jeremy.

"Don't let her know I joined in. She'll murder me!" Damon's voice was sweet in her ear.

"Damon fucking Salvatore. I know you joined in with this."

"Busted." She muttered under her breath as he retreated from Caroline who was advancing on him armed with flour.

She chucked it over him, turning him white. She couldn't help but laugh hysterically.

He scooped her up and hugged her tight – covering her in flour.

"GET HER!" She barely registered his order before she was covered in flour, screaming bloody murder.

They all went silent as a knock on the door interrupted them.

"Are you alright in there? I've called the police you know!"

She started laughing hysterically with Tyler, unable to gain control of herself. Jeremy was right, together the two of them were completely awful.

Damon opened the door, covered head to toe in flour and smiled charmingly at the middle aged woman standing in the doorway. She finally managed to get control of her laughter and calm down. She was planning on explaining

She stared at him in disbelief for a dew moments before several police officers charged into the room.

She couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing and dropped to the sofa, giggling uncontrollably.

"Are you alright, miss?" she looked up at a kind police officer's concerned face and somehow managed to get a grip.

"Yes, thanks, I'm fine. We decided to attack my dear friends with flour-" Caroline shot death glares at her and Tyler while Bonnie gave her the finger. "And they decided to scream like they were getting murdered."

The police officers stared in disbelief at the scene that surrounded them then started laughing.

"Alright miss."

"Have a good night."

"I with I had friends like you."

They finally got rid off them and the seven of them looked at each other and burst out laughing. Caroline and Bonnie were the worst off, soaked and drenched in flour. The rest of them were just covered – head to toe – in flour.

"My apartment." She said in disbelief. "I'm showering first, the rest of you can catch up and clean my floor." She glared pointedly at Tyler who shrugged in mock-innocence.

She hugged his again. "I missed you, Ty." He smiled and hugged her tightly.

"You too, squirt." he dodged the smack she aimed at him. "Go! Shower!" he winked at Damon suggestively. "Both of you. Save the earth. Global Warming, all that jazz."

Damon waggled his eyebrows and declared his new love for the earth. She rolled her eyes and wandered to the shower, dragging Damon with her.

* * *

Twenty minutes later they reappeared, much to the shock of everyone else. And to the relief of Jeremy. Her brother.

"We thought you'd be gone at least another half hour." said Tyler bluntly. She registered how close he was sitting to Caroline and gave him a look that clearly said 'we'll talk later'

"I wish. She made us shower separately." Damon scowled and she kissed him softly, which set Tyler off with a whole new set of euphemisms and innuendos. She smacked his gently over the head and glanced at the time. Only three.

"How bout we order in dinner tonight?"

"Oh shit, Elena, I completely forgot, Jenna's flying in today! She'll be here by five." Jeremy suddenly put in apologetically. She rolled her eyes.

"How can you forget that?" He shrugged innocently.

They all stood and said their goodbyes. She hadn't realised how much she'd missed her friends

She made sure she had Tyler's correct number before he left. No way was she losing contact with him again.

"Love you guys!" And she enveloped her brother, Tyler and Matt into a hug. She waved goodbye to Bonnie and Caroline.

As the door clicked shut behind them she turned to see Damon standing there, shaking his head, his eyes smiling.

"You, Elena Gilbert, are crazy. Completely crazy."

She smirked and winked at him. "That's me."

"Hey, was it your aunt I talked to that time you left your phone at the coffee shop?" Her eyes lit up.

"Yeah, it must have been." she groaned. "She'll definitely remember you! God, I'll get hell for not telling her. I've not called her in years, and with everything that's happened I haven't had time to call her recently."

He smirked and raised an eyebrow. "So, brown eyes. When's she getting here?"

She grasped at his meaning and pulled him in for a kiss.

"I love you." he whispered in her ear.

"Shut up and kiss me."

* * *

"Is it bad I'm nervous?" she asked her brother.

"Nah, you've not seen her since that time you came back for Christmas, like, four years ago."

"Don't make me feel bad, Jer!" He shrugged.

"You'll get hell off of her for not bringing up your fiancé and you know it." That's it. In a sentence he'd summed up her worries.

Damon laughed. "That's exactly what she said earlier!"

She turned and glowered at Damon who smirked and winked at her.

She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a voice she hadn't heard in years.

"Jeremy!" She turned to see her smiling aunt walking towards Jeremy, she hadn't noticed her. She had the same wide smile, bright eyes and copper hair.

"Hey Jenna, look who I ran into." he gestured to her and smiled.

Jenna's eyes widened. Probably at the fact that her niece was standing there with her hand intwined with an exceptionally gorgeous man.

"Elena!" She smiled and wrapped her aunt in a hug. Jenna looked up and look in Damon, her eyes widened once more.

"Damon?"

* * *

_A/N: Okay, not sure whether to make Jenna recognizing Damon a bad thing or an innocent thing... SO much bad has happened to Damon/Elena in this story so I'm kinda tempted to wrap it up, get them married and write an epilogue. _

_What do you guys think? I have a story idea somewhere in the back of my mind that I'm playing around with so HOPEFULLY that should be up within the next couple days. _

_-E x_


	16. Smile

"Jenna?" Damon spoke incredulously. Damon knew Jenna? What?

"Elena, how the fuck do you know Damon Salvatore?" Jenna sounded pissed.

"You know each other?" She kind of dreaded the answer.

"Couple years ago Ric had a some friends fly in." She still sounded pissed and it was really confusing her.

"And the problem is?" Damon snickered at her defensive tone.

"She accused me of being a self-centred, man-whoring pig who cared about no one but myself. Then I think she mentioned something about dying alone and never finding love." He winked slyly at her.

Damon casual tone of voice shocked her and in comparison to his words she couldn't help but start to laugh.

Jeremy caught her eye and the two of them struggled not to burst into hysterical laughter.

"So, I suppose you'll keep her around for another week or so then dump her and move on?"

Damon just looked at her as if he didn't know what to say. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips.

Jenna's eyes narrowed. She started to say something but she say Jeremy shake his head slightly.

"Jenna. Meet Damon Salvatore." She paused just to confuse her aunt even more. She couldn't help but laugh at the turn out of Jenna's words.

She held out her left hand and saw her eyes widen in shock. "My fiancé."

Jenna's face paled. "Oh shit."

That was all it took for Jeremy to burst into hysterical peals of laughter. "You had it coming Jenna." was all he managed to splutter out before laughing again.

She was pulled into a tight hug by her aunt who looked at her so apologetically she couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"It's okay."

"I'm still hurt by that, Jenna. 'Never find love' my ass." Then he winked. Slyly, obnoxiously, completely sexily. She whacked him and smiled at her aunt.

"We're leaving before he causes anymore damage." Damon smiled innocently by her side. Jenna laughed musically.

"I change my mind, Damon. You're perfect for each other."

He smirked and grabbed her around the waist before picking her up bridal-style.

"Let's have an early honeymoon my lovely fiancé."

She laughed and stole a kiss from him. "Fine! But I want a honeymoon after the wedding too!"

He grinned. "You're serious, brown eyes?"

She smirked and climbed down from his arms. "If you get a flight that leaves at-" she glanced at her watch. It was 5 now... "-I don't know, tomorrow afternoon?"

His face split into a wide grin and he saluted her. "Yes, sir! Now, let's go home. Your friends probably trashed your apartment."

She shrugged and grimaced. "They _always_ trash my apartment."

* * *

"I can't believe you guys actually stayed here this whole time!" She stared in disbelief at the mound of cushions and blankets strewn around her living room.

She had gone out to dinner with her Jenna, Jeremy and Damon and now – at ten at night – all her friends were still here casually relaxing everywhere in her living room watching a movie.

She spotted Tyler lying happily on the sofa with Caroline. She frowned. They looked abnormally happy. It almost made her feel bad for what she was about to do.

She slipped quietly over to the sofa and waited until it looked as it Ty would _finally _kiss her-

"CAROLINE, I NEED YOU TO HELP ME PACK!" she squealed excitedly into her girl best friends ear. Said best friend then leaped out of Tyler's arms and went charging through to her bedroom.

The whole room exploded with laughter.

"You're face Ty-"

"Elena, that was classic."

"You completely stole my move, Lena."

She snuck a glance at Damon who looked mildly horrified, mildly proud. She winked and he shook his head slowly.

"What have I got myself in for?" he groaned.

Of course, everyone was more than happy to provide an answer.

"A lifetime of misery-"

"You're marrying my sister – what did you expect?"

"Hell."

Tyler glared at her, but he was smiling. "At least she won't ruin your moments, man."

She leaned into Damon and placed her lips teasingly on his ear and neck. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in before at the last minute she dodged away.

She laughed and kissed Tyler's cheek. "I'll make it up to you." then she kissed Damon's cheek. "And you."

He growled and captured her lips sweetly. "You better."

Caroline squealing from the other room told her she better go help before she wrecked her closet.

"You know you all love me." she said with a wink.

* * *

They stared at him dumfounded as Elena walked out the room.

"What?" he broke the awkward silence, feeling suddenly self-conscious.

Tyler shook his head disbelievingly. "We don't know how you did it but-" he broke off, unable to find words.

"She hasn't been like this since before her parents died." Jenna spoke softly.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced at the floor. He didn't know why they were bringing it up. He was himself around her - something he hadn't been in a long time. If he made her happy then he was doing things right.

"Thanks man." Jeremy spoke for them all while Bonnie, Tyler and Matt nodded along.

"I don't know what I did."

Bonnie shook her head, much like Tyler.

"You did everything, Damon. You made her smile. You made her laugh. You made her love."

Their conversation was cut short by a beautiful brunette exploding into the room, laughing and lighting up the world with her smile.

* * *

"Why are you all staring at me?" she asked suspiciously as they all stared shell-shocked as she danced back into the room laughing lightly and throwing her arms around Damon.

"El. Coffee. Now." she stole a kiss from Damon gently from his lips and let herself be dragged away by Tyler's insistent grasp.

Twenty minutes later they sat on a park bench outside Starbucks.

She looked at him expectantly and he sighed.

"You're so _happy, _Elena."

She rose an eyebrow and smirked. "Captain Obvious makes an appearance." she said dryly.

He elbowed her and engulfed her in a bear hug laughing loudly. "This is what I mean!"

She giggled. "I know. It's just-" she stopped, unable to put how she felt into words. "It's complicated. Very complicated. I'll explain it one day, kay?"

He smiled and nodded, clearly deciding not to push her. She stood laughing and linked an arm through his, completely unaware of the older woman staring at her with a heartbroken expression.

"Elena?" She whipped around to see Elizabeth standing a few feet away, eyeing Tyler warily.

"Elizabeth!" She ran forward to hug her but the older woman backed a way and help up a hand.

"Who is that? Where is Damon?" Elizabeth's voice was so hard and cold it shocked her.

"Elizabeth, meet Tyler, my best friend. Tyler, meet Elizabeth, Damon's mother."

Elizabeth's mouth was set in a grim line."Goodbye Elena."

She stormed off with determination fishing out a small phone from her bag.

She looked after her in confusion. "What the-"

"She thinks you're cheating on Damon. With me." He said in seriously but the idea was so absurd she burst out into uncontrollable giggles.

She flung her left hand in Tyler's face. "Sorry Ty, I'm spoke for." She winked and that set Tyler off with the laughter too.

"Come on," she tugged on Tyler's arm and dragged him back towards the apartment. "I better mend the damage."

* * *

_A/N: So, what do you think? Will Damon believe his mother? Ooooooh._


	17. Barbed Wire And A Ten Foot High Wall

"Damon?" She pushed the door of her apartment open slowly.

"Hey." she raised an eyebrow. She only got one word? No smile; no kiss.

"Elizabeth called you then." It wasn't a question but Damon answered anyway.

"Yeah." He ran a hand through his hair.

She simply rose an eyebrow. She would hear him out. She would let him get all his doubt and worries and questions out of the way.

"My mother calls me and tell me she saw my fiancée in the arms of another man. How is that supposed to make me feel, Elena? She told me you were with someone else! Someone who wasn't me. Who was it? Tyler? Matt? Another guy?"

He groaned. "She wouldn't even give me a _name. _She practically told me you were cheating then hung up!" He darted forward and gripped the top of her arms.

"Elena. Please." His eyes begged her for answers.

"I was with Tyler, Damon. Tyler." She shook her head. She could understand original questioning but this? She knew he trusted her, she knew he did but right now it seemed like he expected her to cheat.

His eyes hardened. "So that's it? After everything we've been through together this is how it ends? With you with someone else?" He looked away. "No explanation? No excuse? Nothing?"

"No."

His icy eyes clouded with pain. She was fucking this up. She placed the palm of her hand on his cheek, her heart clenching as he flinched and moved away from her.

"I was with my _best friend, _Damon. You need to trust me in this. You need to. Not just with Tyler, with everything. See this ring on my finger? The ring _you_ gave me."

When he didn't answer, she simply powered on. He had to understand. "Is that all you think this means? You think I'll jump from you to someone else? Damon. There is no one else. You made me smile and laugh and cry. You smashed my heart into a million pieces and yet _we're still together."_

"I'm yours, Damon. No one else's."

The pain in his eyes was gone, replaced with embarrassment.

"God. I'm so fucking stupid." His voice was so low she almost didn't hear him.

Her heart starting thumping. What had he been stupid about?

He must have noticed the confusion because he quickly wrapped his arms around her pulled her tightly.

"Jesus, Elena. Not stupid about _you." _She instantly relaxed into him and pressed her face into his neck. "Stupid about believing my mother." he scoffed.

"She was just trying to protect you, Damon." She laughed ruefully. "After everything you've – we've been through, how would you have coped if I'd cheated on you?"

He shook his head. "I don't even know, brown eyes."

She flung her arms around his neck, dissolving any lingering traces of doubt or suspicion. She loved him. She really did.

"Marry me."

She looked up, her eyes sparkling with amusement. She waved her left hand slyly at him.

"Too late, I'm already engaged." She winked. He leant and kissed her sweetly.

"I mean it, Elena. Marry me, now, today."

Her eyes danced with excitement she crashed her lips to his and overwhelmed him with her enthusiasm.

"Of course."

* * *

"Tell me how you managed this?" She said incredulously to Caroline.

"I'm talented." She rose an eyebrow at Caroline's dry tone.

"Sure." She smirked as the glanced at herself in the mirror. "Do I look okay?"

Caroline snorted. "You're kidding right? You look stunning!"

She twirled around letting the floor length white dress fly out around her. It was tight and beaded around her chest and gathered at her waist before flowing gracefully to the floor. Her hair was pulled into a simple side ponytail with a white rose under her ear. She had white roses in her hands and her make-up was flawless.

"Elena." Caroline suddenly sounded rather sad.

She turned and smiled at her best friend and hugged her tightly. "What's up, Care?"

"You beat me to the altar!"

Her tone was so anguished she couldn't help but burst out laughing. "You're kidding right? If you'd just given Ty a chance you could have been married years ago!"

She noted the way her friends eye's danced and her smile got bigger at the mention of Tyler.

Caroline seemed to read her mood because before she could say anything she butted in, "No no no no no! Not a word. Later! Now go!" was all she said before rushing out the door.

"Hey 'Lena?"

"Tyler!" she hugged her best friend tightly.

"I thought us being so close had fucked up your relationship but no, now you're getting married!"

"Hey Ty? Do me a favour?" Tyler gave her a look that clearly said 'Anything.' "Go find Caroline, if you don't end up together I'll shoot you. Okay?"

Tyler burst out laughing and kissed her cheek. "I'll send Jer in and tell everyone you're ready."

* * *

"I promise to always be there – whether you want me to or not. I will love you fiercely, with everything within me. I will fight for you. You came into my life and turned it upside down within the first hour of meeting you. I didn't even know your name but that night on the rooftop I knew I was going to fall in love with you. It was your pretty brown eyes and your screaming at the bar that night. We will fight and we will argue, but I promise you now, I will never go to sleep angry, I will stay up and fight with you then fall asleep with you in my arms."

Damon's blue eyes sparkled as he spoke his deepest feelings to his bride.

"And today, when you look absolutely beautiful and I want nothing more than to lean over and kiss you, that's the one thing I can't do. I promise you, here and now, that I will be whoever you need me to be, everyday until forever."

Elena laughed softly. "Who knew you could be romantic?"

"Come on, brown eyes, _everyone _knows I'm romantic!" Their friends laughed loudly. The couple had halted the whole wedding and were now having their own conversation.

"Everyone huh? Shame. I thought I was special."

"Special? You're way past special, Elena."

"I love you." she mouthed at him through her smile.

"Ditto." she rolled her eyes.

"If we could proceed-" the minister cut in which only made the crowd laugh more.

"My mamma always told me not to talk to strangers so when this one walks up to me in a bar and takes me away I knew he was special because I actually agreed. Suddenly, I was falling harder than I ever thought possible. We've been through more than most, but somehow we made it through. He's amazing, and consuming and passionate. I promise you to be there forever, no matter what life throws at us next. I always told myself that I wouldn't need a man to be happy but now, with you, I can't imagine being without. When you find something like this, you can't let go. If they want to fight for you – you let them fight. When it's real you can't walk away."

She never looked away from his eyes, with were so full of happiness they seemed to light up the room.

"Do you, Damon take Elena to be your wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward as long as you both shall live?"

"I, Damon, take you Elena, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward as long as we both shall live."

"Do you, Elena take Damon to be your husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward as long as you both shall live?"

Elena said she would.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Damon didn't even hesitate. He swept Elena into his arms and crushed his lips to hers.

"I-" kiss, "Love-" kiss, "You-" kiss, "So-" kiss, "Much."

Elena broke away and laughed against his lips. "Ditto."

They turned to face the crowd and were greeted with loud cheers and yells.

* * *

Tyler stood up and cleared his throat loudly. "Hey! HEY! Oh right. Okay. Well, this isn't exactly a normal wedding but apparently the bride's best friend is still required to make a speech so sorry Caroline-" he winked cheekily at her "- that's still me."

She buried her face in Damon's chest. God, he was going to be embarrassing.

"So I'll introduce myself. I'm Tyler, Elena's man of honour because that's like a best friend duty isn't it?"

The room exploded with laughter.

"Before I get into it, I know that Elena has guarded her heart with barbed wire and a ten foot high wall since her parents passed. To hold a place there is special and rare – exactly like her and Damon – and I am proud to say that she is my best friend. I know, and she knows that Miranda and Grayson are looking down on her with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces. Their love is unique and endless and it gives us hope that we'll have a chance at that someday. You're family Elena and I love you for that."

He paused to regain composure and wink in Caroline's direction again.

"So, I'm not good a speeches so to save my own embarrassment and to stop be bringing up all Elena's childhood moments I'll call Caroline up." he dropped his voice to a stage whisper. "She scares me so I had to let her say _something."_

Caroline stomped over to the stage and snatched the microphone, glaring at Tyler who smiled adoringly at her.

"As much as I would love to go on about their relationship and the ins and outs of it, I can't. They were private and kept themselves to themselves – expect that one time I walked in on them making out on her floor – but everyone can see how in love they are. It's infectious and the way they act when they think no one's looking is just adorable. Such as now-"

Everyone is the audience swivelled round to see Damon capturing Elena's lips sweetly while giving Caroline the finger.

"Isn't he charming? I don't know Damon, but I do know Elena. She's not the kind to fall in love and leave her heart unguarded unless it's real – me and Tyler know that better than anyone. If she's let you in, then you know it's real. If she fights for you, you know she'll never give you up again. And if she gets mad? Then she thinks your worth getting mad about. Damon, you're good for her, you make her smile and laugh. You make her happy."

The speeches went on, ones about love, laughter and forever, ones about old times and ones about the future.

Damon gazed at Elena with such happiness he almost burst. She looked back at him and caught his gaze, her eyes shining.

"Mrs Salvatore."

"I love hearing that." She whispered into his ear.

"And I love saying it. Let me take you away." he whispered against her lips.

"When have I ever been able to say no?"


	18. Epilogue: 'Cause He Roars

"Y'know-" he mumbled into her ear as they curled up together on plane. "-I did promise you a holiday before the wedding."

She smiled and buried her face into his chest, "This one will have to be extra long then."

"I love you so much, brown eyes." he breathed into her hair. She smiled beautifully, her eyes lighting up.

"I love you too." she whispered against his lips before kissing him.

"You know-" he muttered suggestively, "This is a private jet-" he waggled his eyebrows suggestively as Elena crushed her lips to his.

"I've always wanted to join the mile high club." she whispered in his ear.

He groaned, how could he ever have lived without her?

* * *

'"Oh my god." she gasped as she took in the beautiful scenery. "It's gorgeous."

"It's okay." he murmured. "I've seen better." She turned around and rose an eyebrow sceptically.

"Don't you dare say anything cheesy." she warned.

He took her in his arms and kiss her sweetly. "Never."

* * *

"Elena!" he groaned agitatedly. "What does it say, what do they say?" he yelled excitedly.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be an idiot, Damon. You have to wait. Three minutes." she said sadly.

He sat down on the edge of the bathtub, his legs shaking in anticipation. He drummed his fingers on the edge of the bath, creating a very annoying rhythm.

"That's annoying." Elena snapped, the nerves getting to her.

"This waiting is annoying." he growled.

"You're annoying." she said shortly causing him to smile brightly and capture around the waist and pull her onto his lap.

"That I am." he said before kissing her lightly. He buried her face in the crook of her shoulder and traced gentle pattern over her back.

"What if it's negative?" she asked quietly.

He sighed. "It won't matter." he traced the line of her jaw down to her shoulder. "But I really want it to be positive." he muttered, letting his excitement get the better of him. Over the last two years of their marriage the only other time they had thought Elena was pregnant had turned out to be false and now, they both desperately wanted this time to be positive.

"Me too." she said shakily, her eyes bright and cheek flushed with hope.

"How long's it been?" he asked impatiently.

She frowned. "Only like a minute and a half." she cupped his face,"Calm down!" she kissed him softly.

"I can't! I'm too excited!" he practically exploded.

She flung his arms around his neck and kissed him sweetly, "I love you, stranger." Even after all this time, the name had stuck.

He snorted with laughter, "I love you too, brown eyes."

She covered the bottom half of her face with her hands, her eyes wide. "This is the longest three minutes of my life."

"God, I know." he groaned, wrapping his arms around her waist as he pulled her up. "How many did you use?" he asked curiously.

She looked away blushing, "Three."

He erupted with laughter. "There's nothing wrong with being sure!" she insisted.

"I love you so much." he kissed her lips sweetly before crouching down to kiss her flat stomach. "And I love you too, baby, if you're in there." She giggled an threaded her hands through his hair and yanked him upwards and crashed her lips against his.

He moaned against her and deepened the kiss, picking her up so her legs wrapped around him. He smiled against her and pulled back, kissing her gently on the nose. "Check them."

Her eyes widened. "No, you check them." she said quickly.

He rose an eyebrow. "No. You do it!" he insisted.

"But I don't want it to be negative." she whispered in a small voice. He rolled his eyes and shoved her over to the counter. She glared at him evilly before picking up the small strip of plastic that could change their lives.

She turned around, her face a mask of sadness. It was until that moment that her knew her wasn't going to have a baby that her realised how much he wanted one. He took her in his arms and held her tightly, his face buried in her hair.

"Hey Damon?" she asked slyly.

He frowned at her sly tone and looked down at her curiously, "I'm pregnant." she said casually, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

A true smile split his face and he picked her up and attempted to spin her around in the cramped bathroom. "You evil bitch!" he growled against her lips as he captured her lips in a thought stopping display of passion.

"Should have checked them yourself then!" she yelled as she charged out of the bathroom and into their bedroom. He darted after her and crashed down on top of her kissing his way up and down her body, celebrating the start of a new family.

Some hours later, he lay with his head resting on her stomach while she slept. He pressed a kiss where he knew his child was growing. "I love you, baby." he whispered against her stomach.

* * *

"I hate you!" she yelled at him, her voice cracking.

"It's okay. Shh. It's okay." he attempted to soothe her as he stroked her sweat drenched hair back from her face.

"Why did you have to knock me up, you asshole!" she yelled, her face scrunching up as another contraction hit her.

"Elena, just one more push and your baby will be here!" said the kind faced nurse.

"You said that last time!" she yelled. He chuckled softly, even under this amount of pain she was still able to hold her own.

The nurse rolled her eyes. "One more push." she insisted. Elena yelled at her, screaming and cursing while she pushed and shoved and eased our baby into the world.

A new born cry like a kitten broke through her air and Elena slumped back against the pillows, a shaking hands covering her mouth as tears filled her smiling eyes.

He kissed her on the forehead as he struggled to contain his emotions.

Suddenly, he was handed a small bundle wrapped in a blanket. He gazed into the child's tiny face wondering what it's eyes would look like.

"Damon, Elena. Meet your daughter." He couldn't stop the tears that spilled over his eyes at the news. He had a daughter, a little girl, a miniature version of Elena.

He crouched down next to Elena and placed the baby into her arms. She smiled up as him and lifted an arm to bring his lips to meet hers.

"What's her name, then?" she asked him curiously. They'd had a deal. If it was a girl, Damon chose, and if it was a boy, Elena chose. Her middle name had already been picked out, Tyler if it was a boy, Caroline if it was a girl. They hadn't told Caroline – she would have been way too excited. He had agreed with it, he liked Tyler, he was a great guy and Caroline was a good friend to Elena.

He stared into the little girl's tiny face as her eyes opened and displayed tiny icy orbs, identical to his own.

"She has your exact eyes." Elena breathed in shock.

"I think her name is Alia." he whispered softly, stroking her jet black hair back from her face.

"Alia." she echoed softly, "I love that."

He kissed her forehead. "I should go introduce her to everyone. Sleep, beautiful." he said softly to her as he stepped out the room, his tiny daughter in his arms.

Of course, the first screaming friend to appear next to him was Caroline, followed quickly by Tyler. "Well?" she squealed.

He smiled softly at everyone. "Everyone, meet Alia _Caroline_ Salvatore." he said proudly, emphasising the middle name. For once Caroline was rendered speechless. "You named her after me?" she said quietly.

He nodded, smiling at the blonde. "Thank you."

After some time, he returned to the room, warmed by the messages of congratulations from their friends and promises that they would return the next day.

* * *

"Leelee, this is your baby brother." he said smiling at he picked up the laughing five year old and swung her onto his shoulders.

"What's his name?" she asked curiously, reaching her small hands out towards him.

Elena and him shared a look. "Why don't you pick a name?" she said softly to their daughter.

As if on cue, the little boy began to roar like a little monster. Alia covered her ears with her small palms and squeezed her blue eyes shut.

Damon chuckled and placed her on the bed, where she moved slowly to place her finger into her little brother's hand. He immediately quietened and opened his eyes, which were a dark shade of blue.

"You should call him Rory, 'cause he roars." she said matter of factly with all her five year old innocence, much to the amusement of her parents.

"Rory Tyler, yeah?" he said to his wife and he kissed her sweetly.

"Perfect." she said laughing as he picked up Rory and she cuddled Alia close to her.

* * *

"RORY! SHUT UP!" a twenty-two year old Alia yelled to her younger brother, who was playing music so loud it was deafening her. She didn't even know why she'd bothered to come back to stay for the weekend. She stormed downstairs to where her parents sat on the sofa.

"Seriously guys?" she said in disbelief as her parents kissed. "You're way to old for that." she said as she joined them on the sofa. While Rory had his mother's dark brown hair and chocolate eyes she had her father's looks with her raven hair and icy iris'. She was beautiful and striking, with a sarcastic sense of humor and a wit so sharp she could match her father.

Damon rolled his eyes and flicked her hair in revenge, "You're never too old for it." he said smiling.

Elena winked at her daughter, "Lee, don't you and Alex have plans tonight?" she said, referencing to their daughter's boyfriend.

Alia smiled softly, "Yeah, he's taking me dancing."

Damon rolled his eyes and wandered to the kitchen to get a drink, he couldn't deal with stories of his little girl's _boyfriend_.

He sat on the stool by the breakfast bar and smiled at how his life had turned out. The pictures around the house and on the walls showed his kids growing up, of his and Elena's wedding day, of all the little pictures they had taken over the last twenty-five years. His phone buzzed in his pocket to tell him he had an incoming e-mail and as usual he smiled at he glanced at his wallpaper. It had never changed – it was still the same picture it had been on all his phones since that night all those years ago. He looked at it and smiled, if he had known that night that in twenty-five years he would still be with that crazy, brown eyed girl he would have laughed and said it wasn't true but at the same time, he would have thought that it wouldn't be so bad.

He made his way back through to the living room and settled next to his wife and kissed her sweetly. "I love you, brown eyes." he whispered in her ear much to Alia's disgust.

"Dad! Daughter in the room!" she said, sounding eerily like himself but the smile behind her words took the bite out. He chuckled, he was almost scared for whatever guy she ended up with. She was a free spirit, doing whatever she wanted and leading her own crazy life.

She settled back into the sofa, placing her socked feet in her dad's lap. "Mum, Dad. How did you guys meet?" she asked curiously. Neither of them had ever told her but trusting them, it was probably some crazy story.

They looked at each other and burst out laughing, their eyes dancing with amusement.

"You really wanna know?" Elena said sceptically, raising her eyebrows at the thought of recounting that hectic year.

Alia nodded laughing, smiling at her parents. She hoped she would find something like they had one day.

"Fine." Elena said laughing. "Okay, stranger." she said to Damon with a bright smile on her face. "You start."

* * *

_Cannot believe it's over! I do love this story! This is the second multi-chapter fic i've written and completed and it was the first A/U_

_You guys are amazing as usual, cannot thank you enough for reading and reviewing and not giving up halfway when i suffered that awful spell of writer's block!_

_I hope I did the ending okay, I wasn't sure how to end it but i figured with one like that you can get to the end and go straight back to the start to read it all over again. Was it okay? Let me know what you think!_

_-E x_


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